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THE 



VALUE OF THE SOUL, 



IN 



FIFTEEN LECTURES. 



DESIGNED TO SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SINNER 8 

CONVERSION TO GOD AND THE CERTAINTY 

OF THE christian's HOPE. 



BY 

REV. J. BATEY, 

AUTHOR OF " JESUS CHRIST AS HE IS," ETC., ETC. * 



'And man became a livincf soul.'' — Moses. 

'' What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own 

soul ; or what will a man give in exchange for his soul ?" — Christ. 
" If God be for us, who can be against us ?" — Paxil. 




NEW YORK: 

\ 

PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR. 



1849. 

7r- 



BTnr\ 



I 

Entei^ed, according to Act of Congress, in 'lie year 1849, 

BY J. BATEY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southuni District 

of New York. 



3 



PllEFACE. 



These Lectures are submitted to the public, 
througii the press, icith special reference to the 
eternal salvation of undying souls, and not for 
the mere purpose of furnishing the reader with a 
hook with which to employ his leisure moments, 
nor for the pecuniary advantages which may 
chance to be derived from the sales. Neither 
has the Author aimed to supply the literati with 
learned dissertations on common subjects ; but to 
present plain Bible truths, in such a manner, that 
the humblest reader may learn the way to Heaven, 
and be confirmed in the sentiments and hope of 
the Gospel of Christ. 

While the Author has pursued a perfectly in- 
dependent course in his preparation of these Lec- 
tures, and has freely expressed the pure senti- 
ments of the Gospel as he views them, he has 
carefully avoided that spirit of contention which 
might have been indulged in subjects of^\a con- 
troversial nature as are herein discussed. Thus 
the anxious parent, or the faithful disciple of our 



Jy PREFACE. 

Lord is furnished with the means of strengthen- 
ing the faith of those who are ready to faint, 
and to arrest the attention of those "careless 
ones'' whose souls he esteems more valuable 
than the whole world of wealth, pleasure, honor, 
&c., by bestowing a copy of the work, in the 
name of that Savior who has pledged the sanc- 
tion of His Spirit to accompany the faithful la- 
bors of his servants, even to the salvation of 
souls, and the edification of the Church. 

THE AUTHOR. 



^ 



C N T E N T S. 



PART I. 

Paoc 
Lecture I. The Immortality of the Human Soul. — 

Whatitis — Argued,!. From its Immateriality: 2. From 
its capacity for eternal advancement in knowledge, 
holiness or unholiness, happiness or misery ; 3. From 
the earnest desires and expectations for a future and 
an eternal state of existence, which prevail among all 
nations, civilized and barbarous ; 4. From the influ- 
ence of conscience 5 5. From the absolute necessity of 
a future existence, and of the immortality of the souls 
of the righteous and of the wicked ; 6. From the 
entrance of the soul into eternity at death, - - 13 

Lecture II. The Incomparable Worth of the Soul. — 
Evident 1. From the account given of the origin of 
the soul ; 2. From the price paid for its redemption 3 
3. From the various and successful means employed 
by God to save man ; 4. From the fact that Christ 
viewed the whole w^orld inferior to it, and incompetent 
to restore it when lost, 25 

Lecture III. The Loss of the Soul. — 1. What it is not 
— Arguments against false views of it ; 2. What it is 
— ^Arguments from the Scriptures in all its peculiari- 
ties, 34 



VI CONTENTS. 

Page 

Lecture IV. The Means by which Men accomplish 
THEIR Souls' Loss. — 1. Preference for the riches of 
this world ] 2. Extravagant attention to the pleasures 
and fashions of this life ] 3. Neglect of the means of 
grace; 4. By cherishing erroneous sentiments ; 5. By 
mingling with vile and skeptical company; 6. By 
procrastination, 53 

Lecture V. Salvation Impossible for the Finally Lost 
Soul. — Arguments — 1. That it now is, and ever will 
be, beyond the power of men, by any act or suffering, 
to redeem his own or another's soul ; 2. That the 
atonement of Christ can have no effect to save the lost 
soul which has past the bounds of time, and entered 
into the eternal world : 3. That when sentence shall 
have been given against the sinner in judgment, and 
he becomes the subject of punishment, there is no in 
tercessor between God and him, and without an inter- 
cessor there is no salvation, - - - - - 71 

Lecture VI. Christ the only Competent Savior for 
ALL who are not Finally Lost. — Illustrated by con- 
sidering, 1. The import of the saying in the text, That 
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; 
2. The character of the saying. It is faithful : 3. The 
extent of its claim — It is worthy of universal recep- 
tion, 78 

Lecture VII . The Efficiency, under God, of Human 
Instrumentality. — Affectionate appeals, 1. To minis- 
ters of the Gospel; 2. To parents; 3. To Sabbath 
Schoolteachers; 4. To all instructors of youth ; 5. To 
B^iperintendents, matrons, &c., of Institutions; 6. To 
Christians in general, and to Churches ; 7. To physi- 
cians ; 8. To Christian seamen and soldiers, - - 95 



CONTENTS. VU 

PART II. 

THE CERTAINTY OF THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE. 

Page 
Lecture I. The Nature and Substance of the Chris- 

^TIAN's Hope. — Good — lively — joyful- — blessed — peace- 
ful and triumphant — a helmet — an anchor of the soul. 
The substance of this hope consists, 1. In the Christian 
being a regenerate child of God, an heir of Heaven, 
and a joinf-heir ^vith Christ ; 2. In being raised, at the 
resurrection, in the likeness of Christ, and of enjoying 

Him for our eternal portion, 115 

Lecture II. Tfie Evidence of Possessing this Hope. — 

Obedience to the law of love — to God and to man, &c. 129 
( Lecture III. God's Object in Human Redemption and 
I its Importance. — His own glory and the eternal sal- 

vation of His sanctified children, was the object he had 
in view in redemption. — Its importance is evident from 
the high responsibility He has attached to the agency 
He has employed to save souls — From the necessity 
of Christ's mission — From the divine requirements 
which are necessary to be observed in order to salva- 
tion — From the immutable character of the promises 
to such as seek the Lord. — The Holy Spirit's influence 

indispensable, 137 

Lecture IV. The Effectual Interest of God and His 
Angels for the Final Salvation of His People. — 
He is willing and able to save them. — His love for them 
is stronger than parents possess tovv^ards their offspring. 
— He strongly affirms His readiness and ability to save 
them. — He influences His Holy Angels to become in- 
terested in their salvation. — They are variously and 



via CONTENTS. 

Page 
continually employed in this respect. — They shall be 

the reapers of saints in the last day— and their eternal 

associates, 145 

Lecture V. The Gift of Heaven and Qualifications 
TO Secure it of God. — Scripture authority. — He gives 
repentance, faith, the Bible, the ministry, the Holy 
Spirit, and all the Christian graces, and every influence 
by which he perseveres unto the end, - - - 156 

Lecture VL Christ's Intercessions for His People. — 
The faithful fervent prayers of saints are heard, much 
more Christ's. — Example of Christ's praying recorded 
in John 17. — His confidence in being heard. — He ever 
lives as the same advocate before the Father, - - 163 

Lecture VII. General Scripture Testimony, embrac- 
ing THE Testimony of the Sacred Writers, - 173 
Lecture YIII. Objections to this Doctrine Considered, 182 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

P A R T I. 

LECTURE L 

SUBJECT : THE IMMORTALITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL. 

Gen. 2 : 7, — And man became a living soul. 

Man is a compound being of matter and spirit. 
And according to the word of God, his creator, " he 
is fearfully and wonderfully made.'' Indeed, aside 
from this Bible assertion, our natural senses bear 
irresistible testimony of the fact. A mere casual 
observation of the human system as a whole, con- 
vinces the reflecting mind that infinite design and 
skill were employed in forming man. And a close 
investigation of each part, and the adaptedness 
of the one to the other, cannot fail to convince the 
most sceptical that man is the " handiwork " of the 
Great Creato]*. 

If man, as a being, only possess the powers of 
material sensation, he might, with the brute, be 
merely capable of feeling, smelling, tasting, hearing, 
and seeing ; and, like these, live unconscious of what 
he ought, or ought not, to do. He would be incap- 
able of reasoning or being reasoned with on those 
great moral subjects which can only engage the 
attention of intelligences competent to choose the 
right and reject the wrong, and to realize the ten- 
dencies of virtue and vice. But while the brute ^ 
2 



14 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

deficient in these particulars, man is the only earthly 
being that enjoys those qualities which we regard as 
rationally belonging to a soul or spirit. Hence, as a 
being superior to all others on earth, his Maker has 
given him universal dominion over the whole brute 
creation. 

Man, then, possesses a spirit which is invisible, 
living, immaterial, and immortal — which remembers, 
reasons, wills, and is conscious of favor or ill-desert 
— and is accountable to God the great lawgiver. 

Reason alone teaches us that man is not now in 
that state of perfection and purity which we might 
consistently expect he would be, were he directly the 
work of an infinitely wise, perfect, and good God. 
And as reason, or the light of nature, can only point 
out defects and show what ought not to be so, when 
opposed to long established customs, it cannot inform 
us of the origin or the wherefore of the evil. And 
as it is reasonable to suppose, that - such a being, as 
we acknowledge God to be, would not let such intel- 
ligences as men are, remain in ignoranc^ of what 
relates to their existence, their nature, ^iS^ And, as 
the Bible is the verj^ revelation ^which supplies us 
with all necessary information, on this subject, we 
conclude that God is the author of this necessary 
and ample revelation. This fact being admitted — 
and doubtless it is by the reader — we would add, 
that the Scriptures are decided and clear on the 
moral causes in man of the moral effects experienced 
by him. And they are no less plain in affirming that 
as the human body was formed of the dust of earth, 
which is matter, it was natural or material ; and as 
his soul was united with the body, and thus consti- 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL. 15 

tuted the one being man, which was imparted to him 
by the breath of God, who is a spirit, and the breath 
being spirit, the soul of man thus originated is 
spiritual. Divine Revelation further teaches us, that 
although the human body would always have lived 
as well as the soul, but for sin, yet, because of sin, it 
sickens, dies, and returns to its mother earth, while 
the soul returns to God who gave it, as the intelligent 
part of man. This fact is clearly taught, not only in 
various parts of the Scriptures, but especially in 
Eccles. 12 : 7, — " Then shall the dust return to the 
earth, as it icas, and the spirit shall return to God 
who gave it.'' See the whole chapter. 

It will doubtless be admitted by the candid that 
mind is not matter, and that matter can exist and be 

( increased or diminished, or even be destroyed, with- 
out affecting mind separate from it. Well, if so, why 
cannot mind remain uninjured by the condition of 
matter with which it is associated, seeing they are 

I separate substances. Evidences are before us con- 
stantly, that the powers of the mind are as vigorous 
in the midst of decaying bodies, while the organs of 
matter through which those powers are exhibited are 
fast declining, as when the subjects of disease were 
in perfect health. It is true, for want of general 
strength, mental vigor cannot continue so long in 
exercise, but still, for the time being, it is as great as 
when under the most favorable circumstances. 

There are some would-be wise men, who are ready 
to admit that man has a soul while he lives on earth, 
but, at the same time, they suppose that, at death, 
both soul and body become extinct. But against this 
hypothesis, Reason alone argues, that if there be a 



16 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

God, and if he have provided himself with spirits of 
intelligence w^ho are subjects of his government on 
earth, by which he is glorified, He must naturally 
desire, and will have those subjects to govern in a 
future state, where that government is conducted 
more perfectly, and he can be better served. And 
Reason further argues that, as he has caused us to 
live here, he can and will cause us to live hereafter. 
The one is no more difficult than the other. 
Further, it is as reasonable to suppose a future exist- 
ence for the soul, into which man, at a certain period, 
according to divine appointment, shall arise from 
death and the grave, as for birds or insects, by burst- 
ing the shell, their grave, enter a new world, furnished 
with such accommodations, and such a sphere of 
action, as are suitable to their new being. 

We have also reason to believe that it is the same 
Being who rules over man on earth, and his sleeping 
dust or living conscious spirit, as He that produces 
the resurrections of the various grain, which, being 
deposited in the earth, dies, and yet possesses that 
living principle which He employs as means to 
revive and bring it forth. 

The soul of man is immortal. It will always live. It is 
not subject to death or dissolution. This fact is argued, 

1. From its immateriality, — It will be admitted by 
the honest and intelligent reader, that matter does not, 
originally or independently, possess life. If it had 
life without some foreign moving cause, we could 
easily conceive what sad results would follow. The 
mountains might be seen moving into the valleys or 
into the sea, or adding to their height ; our dwell- 
ings, too, might render our resting-place as uncertain 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL. 17 

as the rolling stone ; all our domestic, mechanical, 
and farming utensils might occasionally leave us to 
realize the misfortunes of their departure ! In fact, 
nothing which we could possess, or eat, or drink, or 
wear, or enjoy, but what might render our situation, 
and even our very existence, unhappy and fluctuat- 
: ing in the extreme. Hence, as matter does not 
assume such a position, it must be readily acknow- 
ledged, that no material substance has life in itself or 
of itself; but that it depends upon something beyond 
and above matter for its operations. Well, as the 
same fact holds good respecting the human body, 
which is inanimate when life which moved it is 
extinct ; the soul which is connected with the body, 
and is superior to it and is supernatural, is immate- 
rial and still lives. The soul of man, then, is the 
moving cause in man, of all his thoughts, words, and 
actions. In other words, the soul thinks, speaks, 
and acts, the organs through which it expresses its 
ability being only the medium of conveyance. The 
human mind is the intelligent power of man, and 
the human soul, which is the seat of the mind, is the 
conscious spirit which forms and dictates the mind : 
hence, just according to the state of the soul will be 
the action of the mind on matter. A brute may 
have an instinctive knowledge, but not an intelligent 
mind ; the latter belongs to no created being on earth 
but man. 

Further, matter is made up of parts ; hence it is 
subject to division, and whatever is divisible can be 
dissolved. But mind and spirit have no parts, hence 
they cannot be divided nor dissolved ; so that if the 
human soul exists at all, upon the same principle it 



18 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

will always exist. Consequently, neither death noi 
anything else can destroy it. It is true, God is able 
to annihilate what he has caused to exist, but in no 
instance has he declared his intention to do it. He 
has threatened to punish the soul of the sinner in its 
existence, but not to annihilate it by punishment. 

Having thus far detained the reader in proving the 
soul's immortality by its immateriality, we would 
pursue the subject further by arguing the fact, 

2. From the soul's capacity for eternal advance- 
ment in knowledge, holiness or unholiness, and hap- 
piness or misery. — This sentiment is emphatically 
true with respect to this life : and if, as has been 
shown, the soul survives the bodv, and lives in an- 
other state, the soul will improve all its powers in the 
life to come. And if there could be any check to 
this progress, it would certainly be in this world, 
where everything tends to prevent its onward course, 
while in the world of spirits there are no material 
obstacles in the way of its advancement. 

We see in this life, that, as mankind progresses in 
years, from infancy to old age, there is a continual 
increase of memory, perception, will, and conscious- 
ness, where they are not interfered with by counter- 
acting influences. And there is also progress in 
either virtue or vice and their attendant results of 
happiness or misery, all of which arise from the 
expansion of the souFs powers and susceptibilities, 
manifested through the enlarged material organs, the 
medium of intellectual communications. It is true, 
when the body weakens and dies, the capabilities of 
the soul seem to weaken also. But it is not so in 
reaUty ; it is only deprived of the strength of the 



THE IMMORTALITY OF TIJE HUMAN SOUL. 19 

material organs through which it operates. When 
the body becomes diseased or infirm through age, the 
mind often seems less vivid than when the same body 
was healthy, and vigorous, and young. The com- 
mon saying respecting the infirm or ag3d, '' his mind 
is greatly impaired or destroyed,'' arises more gene- 
rally from want of reflection than belief of the senti- 
ment ; for all who believe in the immortality of the 
soul, know that the so-ul and the mind are not injured, 
but m„erely the medium of communications, which 
medium is subject to change and decay. 

3. Another argument in favor of the immortality 
of the soul is, the earnest desires and expectations for 
a future and an eternal state of existence which pre- 
vail among all nations, civilized and hai^harous. — 
It will be readily admitted by the honest reader, 
that, if all men either desire or expect immortality, 
and this desire or expectation prevails among the 
benighted heathens as well as among enlightened 
communities, this desire on the part of the virtuous, 
and this expectation of the vicious, must be the ef- 
fect of the Holy Spirit on the heart of the unin- 
structed heathen, and the effect of the instruction of 
divine revelation, accompanied by the same Spirit, on 
the mind of those favored with the Bible. Well, if 
it be a fact, that God (and not nature, for it could 
not give what it did not itself possess) gives to all 
men either a desire for eternal existence, or makes 
them so conscious of such existence as to expect it, 
even though it be against their inclination Ho believe 
it or desire it, the object of this desire or expectation 
must be a reality ; for God would not so deceive 
men as to cause or incline them not only to feel fully 



20 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL, 

convinced of it, but to desire and expect it, if it were 
a matter of uncertainty or a mere nothing — the w^ild 
fancy of a deluded imagination. 

4. This doctrine is further argued from the influence 
of conscience. — Conscience is that property of the soul 
by which we judge between right and wrong, and 
reahze our condition. And though it may be too im- 
perfect alone to be a proper guide in matters of faith 
and practice, yet when subject to the higher power of 
the infinite Spirit of God, it affords us correct views 
of our future and eternal destiny. And who is there 
in this enlightened age of Christianity, however vi- 
cious, that can withstand her mighty influence so as to 
be wholly free from her dictates during the vigor of 
life ? And who, that has seriously abused this moni- 
tor while living, can resist her power when about to 
leave the shores of time, for that boundless space 
eternity — where she can exercise her majesty with- 
out hindrance or abuse ? It is a well-known fact 
that conscience acts her most noble part, and gives 
the strongest evidence of her relation to the soul, in 
the hour of man's dissolution. Then, all the changes 
and the final decay of matter have no effect to reduce 
her strength, or indicate her future inanimation. But 
with the last breath of man, she abides and follows 
the soul into the spirit world, to assure the virtuous of 
their final glory in heaven, and the vicious of their 
miserable choice and utter ruin in hell. 

It is not surprising that some men are to be found 
who have the hardihood even to deny that property 
of the soul, the human conscience. And yet this is 
done in the very face of common observation, as well 
as of every man's experience. What has not con- 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE HUMAN SOUL. 21 

science done for individuals, for communities, for na* 
tions» for the whole world ? Has she not been the 
Christian's safeguard ? Have not the impenitent been 
softened down into deep and humble contrition of 
soul for their sins, by her agency ? Who has estrain- 
ed the bloody assassin or accused the murderer, but 
this resistless foe to crime ? In a word, has she not 
done for man, what nothing else could have ac- 
complished ? She has ! And w^hat is more, some of 
her greatest performances have been done, or at least 
commenced, w^hile the subject she influenced, w^as 
physically lost in profound slumber, though mentally 
awake to perfect consciousness. If this be so, it is a 
strong evidence that she will . not only survive the 
sleep of death, but that she will always, after death, 
perform her work as before that event.' Hence, we 
conclude, according to the Bible, and experience, and 
observation, that if conscience in this life renders 
some miserable and others happy, and often too in 
the midst of the most inactive, stupid, and dead state 
of the body, she will live and thus act for ever eternal- 
ly, and therefore bears a strong affinity to the soul, 
proving its immortality, with indisputable authority. 

5. The truth of this doctrine apj)ears also in the 
absolute necessity of a future existence, and of the 
immortality of the souls of the righteous and of the 
wicked. — How often are we called painfully to wit- 
ness the unequal distribution of justice in this life ? 
And w^e are led to inquire, can it be possible that the 
just, holy, and perfect Sovereign of the w^Orld, w^ill al- 
low these things to exist wdth impunity ? All are 
ready to acknowledge, that He must look upon every 
impious and unjust transaction, with perfect abhor- 



28 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

rence. Well, as he cannot always reach (speaking 
after the manner of men) the subjects of foul trage- 
dies in this life, both parties will agree that men must 
live in a future state, when they shall be arraigned be- 
fore a proper tribunal, and receive a just retribution. 
We see, then, that the immortality of the soul is in- 
dispensable for the exhibition of the divine perfections, 
and for the rewarding of the virtuous and the punish- 
ing of the vicious, in equal proportions, in a state of 
existence from which none can escape justice, and in 
which the soul will always live. 

6. Another and still more important argument in 
favor of this doctrine is, that the soul goes into eter- 
nity at death.-^li this is proved, it establishes for ever 
the fact that the soul never dies, for nothmg in eter- 
nity is susceptible of change or death. To prove this 
position we must rely wholly upon the word of God, 
which is so plain and full on this point, as to afford 
ample testimony. But however clear this fact is 
recorded by God, some of the professed friends of the 
Bible have recently become so wise as to dispute the 
matter, in the face of truth and of God. It seems 
therefore indispensably necessary that we investigate 
this evidence, and advocate the Bible, though in bre- 
vity. In doing this, it is necessary merely to present 
a few Scripture facts bearing upon the question, with- 
out going into a large quotation or an extended dis- 
cussion. It is said in that part of the history of 
Elijah, recorded in 2 Kings 2 : 11, that he went by 
a whirlwind into heaven. And Christ said to the 
penitent thief on the cross with him, " To-day shalt 
thou be with me in paradise.'' And as heaven, or 
paradise, is the habitation of God, who inhabits eterni- 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE HUxMAN SOUL. 23 

ty — and as Christ went into heaven where he should 
eternally live with his people, both Elijah and the 
penitent thief must have gone immediately from 
earth and from time into heaven — into eternity. The 
case of the rich man and Lazarus is striking, and 
bears not only testimony to the fact that the souls of 
the righteous, but also those of the loicked will live eter- 
nally. In this case the narrator informs us that both 
Lazarus and the rich man died. The one was taken 
to heaven, and appeared in the embraces of Abraham, 
while the other was in a state of conscious misery, 
seeking relief in vain. They were both in the same 
existence in eternity — though in different conditions. 
It is plain that they are represented as being in one 
world, because they saw, and heard, and conversed 
with each other. And that they differed in their 
state, and were to continue so, is also clear ; because 
it is said that a great gulf \y as fixed between them, so 
as to render hope of change impossible. Another 
important instance is before us, in the dying expres- 
sions of holy Stephen, the first martyr to the Christian 
faith on divine record. While being stoned to death, 
and with his expiring breath, he prayed Christ, who 
had ascended up into heaven — into eternity — '•' to re- 
ceive his spirit/' and it was done. Paul, too, expressed 
a desire to depart and to be ivith Christ, which he 
considered far better than to remain in this world of 
sorrow, pain, and death. But it would not have been 
much better, if he were not going into a state of exist- 
ence where he would be not only happy, Btit remain 
eternally so. All these instances go to prove that those 
ancient worthies realized the object of their faith. 
'And as God is no respecter of persons, as it regards 



24 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

their future and eternal being, we have full authority 
to believe in the immortality of the human soul, both 
of the just and of the unjust. Besides the cases which 
have been presented, and others which might be cited, 
the Scriptures are ample in testifying to the fact in a 
doctrinal manner. From among the many passages 
bearing on this question, the two following will be suf- 
ficient. Eccl. 12 : 7, in speaking of the hour of death, 
the sacred writer says, " Then shall the dust return to 
the earth, as it was, and the spirit shall return to God 
who gave it '' 1 Cor. 15: 53. "For this corruptible 
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put 
on immortality, '^ 



LECTURE II. 

SUBJECT. THE INCOMPARABLE WORTH OF THE SOUL. 

Matt. 16 : 26. " For what is a man profited," &c. &c. 

In discoursing upon the value of the soul, we are 
conscious that we enter upon a weighty matter ; it, 
therefore, becomes necessary for us to present such 
arguments as will, under God, impress the mind of 
the candid reader with the solemn fact, that his un- 
dying, imperishable soul, is of infinitely more import- 
ance than all things else. This fact is evident, — 

1. From the account given of the origin of the soul, — 
In the creation of all things in heaven and on earth, 
the Great Creator has displayed infinite wisdom, 
power, and goodness. And when he had performed 
his mighty work, he pronounced it complete and 
good. No defect was found in anything that he had 
made. The heavens and the earth, the sea and the 
land, were well supplied with living creatures to move 
therein, and to bear testimony to the perfect intelli- 
gence of the Great Designer who gave them being, 
and provided the elements and the sustenance for 
their unlimited enjoyment. The all-wise Creator also 
provided his living creatures with ability to propa- 
gate their species, and satisfy the demands of their 
nature. But although everything was done for the 
animal creation that was necessary to be done ; and 
although perfection marked all that was made, yet 
a nobler object was to be accomplished. An im- 



36 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

mortal being was to be formed, capable not only of 
filling the world with a superior race of animals than 
mere brutes, but also to live eternally, to generate 
immortal intelligences that should bear the divine im- 
press upon their minds, and many of whom should 
glorify their Maker by receiving his divine nature in 
their hearts, after having marred their original glory. 

When God made all other earthly creatures but 
man, he merely said, " Let the sea or the earth bring 
them forth/' But in the formation of man, who was 
to have a living soul that should never die, he said, 
" Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,'' 
Thus the Divine Persons in the sacred Trinity held a 
deliberate consultation, which indicates the import- 
ance of the undertaking about to be entered upon. 
A being was to be formed whose species should not 
only be His earthly subjects, whom he should govern 
in time, and who should adorn his handiwork, and 
have undisputed authority over His inferior works 
and creatures, but also to glorify Him, and be under 
his dominion in a higher, a more noble sphere, nearer 
to His own spiritual nature and regions. Truly that 
was an important work — a work which angels de- 
light to contemplate, and for which they glorify the 
Almighty Maker, especially as they are among his 
created intelligences, Vv^hose nature and excellencies 
are beyond human conception. 

2. The soul of man is evidently important, too, in 
view of the price paid for its r^edemption. — Though 
God made the human soul perfectly pure and free 
from sin and guilt, yet, at an unfortunate suggestion, 
man deviated from the path of obedience, and thus by 
transgression he fell a victim to a disease and a death 



THE INCOMPARABLE WORTH OF THE SOUL. 27 

beyond the control of finite beings. All the efforts put 
forth by the transgressor only tended to aggravate his 
case and render his hope vain. After he had ma- 
naged the matter of self-protection so miserably as to 
yield to the first evil temptation, God determined to 
have the glory alone of saving man from his folly and 
ruin. For this He spared no pains. It was in vain 
to seek a ransom in imperfect and sinful humanity. 
None in heaven or on earth was found competent for 
the demand of divine justice, but the eternal uncre- 
ated, begotten Son of God. Hence, according to the 
promise given to the first parents of our race, in the 
fullness of time, the voluntary Savior appeared in 
the dignity of the Sovereign of the universe, clothed 
with the mantle of untainted humanity, which was 
sacrificed and penetrated to the utmost extreme. The 
sufferings of the Son of God were more than mere 
imperfect humanity could have endured by a volun- 
tary death. Possessing the two natures, divine and 
human, in their perfection, Christ suffered more than 
man could suffer, being sustained by his infinite Divi- 
nity, so that when he died he gave up his life of him- 
self, no man being able to deprive him of it by all the 
agonies they might see fit to inflict upon him. The 
price then given to redeem the human soul was no- 
thing less than the infinite, only begotten Son of God. 
How important must be the object for which so valu- 
able a sacrifice was laid ! Especially so w^hen no 
other being or thing in the whole universe could be 
found adequate to meet the divine claims against a 
^orld sunk in sin and misery ! So great was this 
offering, that if it had not been made, the whole hu- 
man family would have dwelt eternally under the 



28 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

conscious sense of the wrath of offended Deity — not 
only one soul, the first transgressor, but all souls, from 
the first man down to the last human being. Yea, men, 
women, and children, would all have suffered the ven- 
geance of eternal fire. How important then for the 
soul, which is capable, not only of sinning against 
God, and of being subject to His eternal displeasure, 
or of complying with his requirements, being regene- 
rated by Him after falling in sin, and of finally enjoy- 
ing the eternal smiles of the Savior. So valuable in 
the sight of the Savior himself was the soul of the 
sinner that he voluntarily left the host of heaven and 
his glorious habitation, and assumed the meanest po- 
verty, and associated with the most despised of earth, 
in order to accomplish the infinite purposes of Jeho- 
vah, and to prepare the way to introduce immortal 
souls into the eternal mansions of bliss. It was truly 
no mean object that thus called forth the immortal 
and infinite love and energies of our blessed Re- 
deemer. It was for the undying soul of the poor, 
miserable, helpless sinner. 

3. The worth of the human soul is argued further 
froin the various and successful means which God 
employs to accomplish its salvation, — God did not call 
into being the immortal powers of man to be left 
without any means suited to advance his enjoyment. 
And especially after he had clothed himself with 
shame, guilt, despair, and darkness, his divine Maker 
was moved with compassion to open the way of holi- 
ness, safety, and happiness, and withal to reveal the 
fact so necessary to be known forjhe encouragement 
of the perishing. This was done in giving man the 
word of life, the law, and the gospel. Besides this, 



THE INCOMPARABLE WORTH OF THE SOUL. 29 

He instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest from ma- 
nual labor, and for the serious employment of the 
soul in worshiping God for the completion of its pre- 
sent and future glory. In connection with these 
essential means of salvation, He appointed the minis- 
try of the word — that of the law under the Jewish 
dispensation, which pointed to the approaching Sa- 
vior — and that under the gospel, which carries the 
mind through the ages of divine light, from the com- 
ing of the Son of Man down to the end of time. It 
is mainly through this latter instrumentality, accom- 
panied by the power of the Holy Spirit, that the 
world has already been so greatly revolutionized in 
its moral condition, and through which the earth is to 
be filled with the knowledge and glory of the Lord, 
even as the waters cover the mighty deep. Indeed, 
every instance of divine providence, whether adverse 
or prosperous, is designed by God to be the means of 
directing the soul to the fountain of life and joy, 
though like most of the other means, it is often 
abused, and that too to the utter ruin of the soul. 
For all the means of grace are either the savor of 
Hfe unto life, or of death unto death. For it is not to 
be argued, because means competent to save souls 
are employed, and are within the reach of those 
whom they are designed to benefit, that they will 
produce the effect without being improved by the 
sinner. As well might the indolent farmer look for 
an abundant harvest without improving the seasons, 
because the diligent have secured a crop. Every in- 
stitution of the Christian Church is intended by God 
to constitute a means to awaken the soul of man 
to engage in securing its well-being. Baptism, the 



30 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Lord's Supper, prayer meetings, conference meet- 
ings, &c., are all placed within the reach of the soul 
to remind it of its vast importance and its responsi- 
bilities, in view of those means which, if rightly im- 
proved, would tend to enrich the subject of gracious 
influences with the crown of eternal life. Not only 
has the sacred Trinity been so deeply interested in 
the welfare of the souls of men, as to secure an atone- 
ment for them, and to continue to employ means to 
save them : but the whole army of heavenly spirits, 
and the sanctified of the earth have ever been, and 
still are, engaged for the benefit of the undying souls 
of sinners — so much so, that it was worthy of record 
that the angels in heaven rejoiced when a penitent 
soul came to seek refuge in the rock of ages ; and, we 
might enquire, why should they manifest so much 
regard for men if the human soul were a trifling 
thing ? And why should the numerous saints, minis- 
ters, and others, on earth, labor so indefatigably, so 
earnestly, and spend their lives, and go down to pre- 
mature graves by excessive toil in studying, writing, 
preaching, praying, exhorting, visiting, and otherwise 
improving their time for the salvation of souls, if they 
were not of great account in the sight of God, of an- 
gels, and of good men ? O ! who can conceive the 
value of one immortal soul ! 

4. It is also evident that the soul is of incalculable 
importance, from the fact, that Christ regarded the 
whole world inferior to it, and incompetent to restore 
it when lost, — Who but Christ, the only Savior of the 
soul, could properly comprehend its importance ? 
Who could more justly appreciate its worth ? Who 
could love it more ardently ? Well might he enquire, 



THE INCOMPARABLE WORTH OP THE SOUL. 31 

" What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole 
world and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man 
give in exchange for his soul ?*' This enquiry of our 
Lord comprises more than the careless reader is 
a^vare of. But supposing it embrace merely the 
whole mass of wealth that is in the world, the land 
and water, and all that is therein ; the cities, and 
the country, with all their grandeur, magnificence* 
and produce — their gold, and silver, and precious 
stones — their palaces, and cottages — their garments^ 
drapery, furniture, &c. &c. — their machinery, and 
manufactories, and various utensils — their vehicles, 
horses, cattle, &c. &c. &c.; — what comparison can 
all those things bear to the value of the soul, when 
we consider that these all shall pass away without 
leaving the possessor happy and rich, but poor and 
miserable, if the salvation of the soul be neglected, 
while the soul can never perish in the sense in which 
w^ealth does, nor its riches fail, when secured in 
Christ ? But, besides the enjoyment of all the wealth 
of this world, if it were possible to be possessed by 
one man, add to it the various and unceasing plea- 
sures of this life, both amusing and sensual, from 
whatever source, or to whatever extent, by day and 
by night, without remorse or shame, to be enjoyed at 
home and abroad, by sea and by land, in whatever 
way, according to the will and most ardent desires, 
which could possibly come within the compass of hu- 
manity, — what would it all avail the dying sinner, who 
has thus preferred all those pleasures to thevReligion of 
Christ in the soul, when he is called to yield them up 
and launch away into the boundless ocean of eternity, 
with his undying soul miserably lost for ever, destined 



82 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

to suffer the eternal vengeance of offended Heaven ? 
Suppose, too, that in connection with the v^eahh and 
pleasures of the whole world, the impenitent sinner 
could gratify his highest ambition, and meet with all 
the honor and applause which could be conferred upon 
human greatness, whether merited or not, so long as 
enjoyed without alloy, or a rival. Let his name of 
praise be upon every lip, and his fame spread from 
shore to shore, and he be an object of universal admi- 
ration, and let him be conscious of all this too — ^let 
his name be adorned with a full catalogue of all the 
honorary titles which could be bestowed upon him — 
let him enjoy all the offices which exalt one digni- 
tary or citizen above another — let him be even wor- 
shiped by all the world, whom he would regard his 
inferior subjects, obliged to pay him the profoundest 
reverence — let him exercise universal dominion, 
without interruption during this life, — in a word, let 
hijxi have the whole world as his exclusive property, 
to enjoy it as he please, as long as he lives, — what 
would be the final profit, if, after all this, he were to 
lose his own soul — be robbed of eternal glory in hea- 
ven ? Oh ! how inferior would the whole world, en- 
joyed for the short season of human life, appear to 
his miserable mind, when compared with the incon- 
ceivable value of the immortal soul ? the eternal 
glories of heaven! 

Could man possess all created things, and in the 
choice of them he should lose his own soul, we can 
easily conceive how readily he would be willing to 
exchange his perishing, unsatisfactory possession 
for the restoration of his soul — for its eternal enjoy- 
ment. But, alas ! nothing — no not even the whole 



THE INCOMPARABLE WORTH OF THE SOUL. 33 

world — could redeem it when lost. And yet how many 
sacrifice their souls to accumulate a mere speck of 
earth, which cannot be found upon even the map 
of the State, where their boasted possession lies — 
while others lay the foundation of their utter ruin, in 
grasping after the imaginary pleasures of time and 
sense, which, like the empty bubble, only appear, de- 
ceive, and are gone, without leaving any lasting joy 
to the victim of disappointment and remorse. In a 
word, thousands irrecoverably lose their souls through 
the slightest indulgence of sin or error, persevered in 
without the least possibility of ever being able to re- 
deeni it. What folly for enlightened intelligences ! — 
But more of this at another time : sincerely hoping 
that what has been said will awaken your serious at- 
tention to the value of your undying souls. 



r 



AAVv N^ 



LECTURE III. 

THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 

Ezek. 18 1 4. '' The soul that sinneth, it shall die." 

Notwithstanding the soul — the inestimable treasure 
of man — is of all his possessions the greatest, the best 
gift of heaven, yet it is affectingly true that it is liable 
to be lost^ to die eternally. There is, however, a va- 
riety of opinions entertained and expressed by men as 
to what the death of the soul implies. Some suppose 
it means the annihilation of the sinner. This senti- 
ment has been gaining ground within a few years 
past, among some of the visionary subjects of the 
advent of Christ. It is not, however, a new doctrine. 
It is only revived from its long slumber of centuries, to 
suit the present times of fanaticism and delusion. Its 
advocates pretend to confirm it by those portions of 
Scripture, which, in expressing the punishment of the 
wicked, speak of their destruction — their death, &c. ; 
for instance, such as the text, " The soul that sinneth 
it shall die," and hence, they suppose that, because 
when men die on earth, their life is extinct, the soul 
too will be extinct in its death in another world. But^ 
after all, these would-be wise men affirm that the. 
dead live after they have become extinct, and yet do 
dot allow that the sinner can suffer what death only 
represents, viz., eternal conscious misery. That 
"death'' does not always, nor generally mean extinc- 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 35 

tion of being when employed by the learned penmen 
is plain from the following. 1 John 3 : 14 — " We know 
that we have passed from death unto life, because we 
love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother 
ahideth in death.'' Here it is said, 1. That a man 
passes from death, or, if you please, from extinction 
of being to life, which is an utter impossibility, if death 
is literal extinction ; 2. That a man abides, or lives in 
death — does he live in ceasing to live ? What perfect 
nonsense ! Another text says — John 5 : 25 — "Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, the hour cometh, and now is, 
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; 
and they that hear shall live .?"-— Now it is plain to 
the candid mind, that if men are dead and cease to 
live, they cannot hear ; and yet, they only who hear 
shall live, says Christ, so that if death means extinc- 
tion of being by the death of the soul, it must also in 
the above examples ; that would render those passages, 
with many others which might be cited, altogether 
contradictory and unmeaning. But they are figura- 
tive. So also are the passages which speak of the future 
punishment of the wicked, as being death. 

The term destroy, is also used to defend this anni- 
hilation of the wicked. For instance, " He that being 
often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be 
destroyed, and that without remedy.'' But that the 
word destroy does not generally, if ever, mean annihi- 
lation is too plain to the careful reader of the Bible, or 
the man of common sense. When it is said of a man, 
that his property, or health, or reputation, or influence 
is destroyed or lost, all perfectly understand it to mean 
that the man suffers for the want of what he formerly 
enjoyed, and not that there is annihilation of property 



36 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

or enjoyment in the abstract. And when the Lord by 
the Prophet, said, '*0 Israel, thou hast destroyed thy- 
self,'' no one can suppose that Israel^ the Church of 
God, was literally annihilated. The Apostle employs 
the term destroy, where nothing more nor less than 
separation from God is implied. Acts 3 : 23 — " Every 
soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be de- 
stroyed from among the people.'' Here the apostle was 
repeating the fact, declared several thousands of years 
before by the inspired penman, respecting the rejectors 
of Christ and his truth, and applied it to his own 
times. Now it is very evident that the destroying of the 
impenitent from the people did not, in the apostle's 
mind, implj^ extinction of being either in this life or 
the life to come, because such a sentiment is directly 
at war with every feature of the Gospel dispensation. 
It can, then, mean nothing else than a separation of the 
sinner from among the saints, in the world to come. 
This accords with the fact taught by Paul in 2. Thess. 
1 : 9, where, after giving a description of the coming 
of Christ, he says of the disobedient, the wicked *'Who 
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power ;" 
by which he evidently means that the wicked shall 
be punished with separation from the people of God, 
who surround his throne of glory. This truth is in 
perfect keeping with the whole tenor of the Bible, 
respecting the future punishment of the sinner. The 
phrase " burn up'' is another, and perhaps the strong- 
est one on which the annihilationists rely for support 
of their vain hypothesis. The text which contains it 
is found in Malachi, viz. — " Behold the day cometh, that 
shall burn as an oven ; and all the proud, yea, all that 
do wickedly, shall be as stubble ; and the day that 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 37 

Cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, 
that it shall leave them neither root nor branch/' But 
the honest enquirers after truth can i^eadily see that 
this passage is highly figurative of the future suffer- 
ings, and not annihilation of the impenitent. For 1st, 
It is there affirmed, that all those who do wickedly 
shall, in the day of God's coming to judgment, be as 
stubble, that is, they shall be compared to stubble — be 
rejected — and be consigned to the unquenchable fire of 
divine wrath, and 2d, That this day of God's wrath 
shall be the occasion of their suffering, without any 
hope of remedy. To suppose that that passage in- 
tends to affirm the literal destruction or annihilation 
of man, soul and body, with material fire, is too much 
for common sense to admit of; for whatever material 
fire can do towards consuming material substance on 
earth, it is very plain, that it can have no effect upon 
the immaterial soul, nor upon the soul and body of 
man m eternity, when the whole human being and 
everything else is immaterial. If that text is to be 
taken in the literal sense, so also must that of the 
Psalmist, which affirms that the wricked " Eat up the 
people of God as they eat bread." And, pray, who 
can reconcile the literal eating up of the people of 
God, by mastication as they do their meals, with com- 
mon sense, human delicacy, &c. ? And yet, one taken 
literally is as reasonable as the other. 

The word " devour" is also employed by the 
sacred writers to express the future punishment of 
the wicked, and grasped by those who teach the 
annihilation of the wicked. They select the follow- 
ing text, Isa. 33 : 14 — " Who among us shall dwell 
with devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with 



38 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

everlasting burnings ?" But the reader will discover, 
that the text is a repetition of the same fact in two 
terms of inquiry, w^hich, of course, is expressed by 
synonymous terms, so that the dweUing w^ith devour- 
ing fire is the dwelhng with everlasting, unceasing 
burning, which impUes that the same will be in a 
continual state of conscious misery, as one that is 
being consumed, yet will never die. This accords 
with our Savior's remarks respecting the impenitent 
finally suffering as though they were enduring the 
knawing of a worm that never dies, and of the fire 
that is never quenched. To suppose that the term 
" devour,'' as employed by the inspired writers, means 
the annihilation of the subject to be devoured, would 
be making sad havoc of the word of God, causing it 
to teach what every man's senses and reason must 
deny and recoil at. For example, Christ in several 
instances uses the term to show the greediness of the 
Scribes and Pharisees, and says, that they "devour 
widow's houses.'' What ! does he mean to affirm 
that the Pharisees were so great monsters as to liter- 
ally annihilate the dwellings or families of poor 
widows? And Paul, in waiting to the 'Corinthians, 
says, " For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bond- 
age, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a 
man exalt himself, if a man smite you in the face — I 
speak as concerning reproach.'' Here the word de- 
vour is used to denote the suffering of reproach, and 
not the literal mastication of the whole Christian 
Church hy "a man /" It is not necessary to follow 
up this glaring absurdity any further, as enough has 
been said to show its want of proper authority, or, at 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 39 

least, to satisfy the candid enquirer after the truth 
that it is false. 

Another prevaiUng opinion of the soul's loss or 
death, is, that through the infinite mercy of God the 
wicked will suffer for a short period in eternity and 
then be restoi'ed to the image and eternal favor of 
God in heaven. But a few brief considerations will 
show the fallacy of such an hypothesis. 1. Ac- 
cording to the Scriptures the wicked die in their sins, 
Christ, w^ho miderstood perfectly the nature of sin 
and its penalty, repeated no less than three times to 
the wicked Pharisees this saying, " Ye shall die in 
your sins." — John 8 : 21-24. And it is reasonable 
to infer, that those who die in their sins are impeni- 
tent and unregenerate, unholy, opposed to God and 
to his law, and to every good sentiment and practice. 
2. The same Scriptures affirm that those who die in 
sin remain in that state. Eccl. 9 : 10 — " Whatso- 
ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for 
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wis- 
dom, in the grave, whither thou goest.'" Prov. 1 : 24- 
31 — " Because I have called, and ye refused ; I have 
stretched out my hand and no man regarded ; but ye 
have set at nought all my counsel, and would none 
of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity ; I 
will mock when your fear cometh — when your fear 
Cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as 
a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon 
you ; Then shall they call upon me, but / will not 
answer ; they shall seek me early, but they shall not 
find me : For that they hated knowledge, and did 
not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none 
of my counsel, they despised all my reproof. There- 



40 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

fore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and 
he filled with their own devices,'' Rev. 22 : 11 — 
" He that is unjust, let him be unjust still : and he 
which is filthy, let him be filthy still : and he that is 
righteous, let him be righteous still ; and he that is 
holy, let him be holy still/' If the righteous are to 
remain pure or in the state in which they die not, 
upon the same principle, and in the same unholy con- 
dition, shall the impenitent live eternally ? 3. Christ 
assures those who die in their sins that they cannot 
go where he is to enjoy his society and his smiles. 
John 8 : 21 — " Then said Jesus again unto them, I 
shall go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die 
in your sins : whither I go ye cannot come.'' All 
will acknowledge that our Lord had reference to his 
ascending to heaven, where he should eternally live 
as the glory and joy of his sanctified souls ; and that 
if the wicked die in their sins and go not with him 
or where he is, they must dwell in a state, and en- 
dure a punishment, for which they shall be eternally 
adapted. 4. The Scriptures speak of the future 
punishment of sinners as a " fixed,'' unalterable con- 
dition, Luke 17 : 26 — "And beside all this, between 
us and you there is a great gulf fixed : so that they 
which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither 
can they pass to us that would come from thence." 
If our Lord did not intend to express the unalterable 
condition of the two states of the righteous and the 
wicked, in this passage, he meant nothing at all : 
without this construction on it, it is perfect nonsense ; 
and who will urge this charge against God ? An 
impassable gulf or precipice is fixed between the 
righteous and the wicked in eternity, so that the idea 



THE LOSS OP THE SOUL. 41 

of a limited punishment there is absurd in the ex- 
treme. 5. A variety of synonymous terms are em- 
ployed by the sacred writers to express the future 
punishment of the sinner to be eternal, unlimited. 
For instance, " everlasting burnings/' see Is. 33 : 14. 
" Destruction icithout remedy ^ — Prov. 29 : 1. " Un- 
quenchable fire.'' — Matt. 3 : 12. " Everlasting pun- 
ishment." — Matt. 25 : 46. " Undying worm." — 
Mark 9 : 44. " Eternal damnation."— Mark 3 : 29. 
*' The impenitent sinner never be forgiven." — Same 
chapter and verse. " Everlasting destruction." — 2 
Thess. 1 : 6-10. Numerous other passages of Scrip- 
ture of equal import might be referred to, but the 
above are sufficient to satisfy the candid enquirer 
after truth that the future punishment of the wicked 
is not limited by the expression of divine authority. 
6. Common sense forbids the idea that there can he a 
limited punishment in an unlimited, unceasing state 
of existence, as all beUeve respecting eternity. God 
is unchangeable because he is eternal ; so is heaven, 
and so are all its inhabitants, and so also is hell, the 
abode of the wicked. Change, and limit, and cessa- 
tion of state, belong only to earth during time, w^hich 
will be no longer, as Christ declares, when he comes 
to destroy the w^orld, and judge the nations of the 
earth. Hence there can be no such thing as limited 
punishment in eternity. Thus, we see that both the 
Bible and common sense bear united testimony 
against this vain hypothesis which has deluded many 
an unweary soul. 

A still more extended, erroneous view^ of the " soul's 
loss," as entertained by a great proportion of those 
who wrest the Scriptures to their own and others' 



42 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

destruction, is, that it merely comprises " The trials 
and sufferings of chastisement which are endured in 
this hfe/' But, as this position has been met by the 
previous remarks in establishing from the Scriptures 
the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the v^icked, 
it is merely necessary to add, that, if this sentiment 
were true, then the justice of God is made void, for 
the righteous universally suffer more severely than 
the wicked. Whose conscience is the most sensitive 
at the least deviation from the path of rectitude? Is 
it the debauchee who spends his days and nights in 
revellings and drunkenness ! No. Is it the bold as- 
sassin's, or the desperate pirate's, v^^hois familiar with 
murderous scenes ? No. Is it the hardened wretch's, 
who is accustomed to profanity and every species of 
crime ? No. It is that man's, who is striving to keep 
the commandments, and who has the fear of God be- 
fore his eyes, who is continually examining his own 
heart and life, and ever ready to pass sentence against 
himself Such a one, then, receives the greater con- 
demnation, while the most abandoned of earthly in- 
telligences, by hardening themselves in crime, go on 
unpunished! What a principle! What a miserable 
subterfuge men will resort to in order to evade the 
face of truth! We might ask, whose general afflic- 
tions are the severest? If the sufferings of this life 
were the "loss of the soul," then surely, the impeni- 
tent only ought to suffer, and the righteous, who are 
devoting their life to the service of God, should be 
free from that kind of punishment, as they are trying 
to comply with the divine requirements, and are 
spoken of in the Bible as being the subjects of God's 
special favor. And what is more, the punishment 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 43 

should be in proportion to the amount and duration 
of the crimes indulged. But how many of the most 
vicious are living in all the luxury of this world, 
and feasting upon the ill-gotten gain they have se- 
cured by injuring the poor saints of God, while the 
latter — the humble Christian — lives a whole life of ex- 
treme torture or poverty ? And, pray, how will this 
system of personal punishment apply to unconscious 
infants, who understand not the law, neither do they 
sin, for without the knowledge of law there can be 
no inteUigent transgression ; and God holds none ac- 
countable who are incapable of comprehending his 
requirements ? But infants and idiots are often the 
greatest sufferers in this life. And who will charge 
God with thus punishing them for their crimes? and 
that, too, in proportion to their sins ? 

We would appeal, then, to the vain boasters of such 
a system, and ask. Is this the justice of God which 
you profess to admire, while you contemn that pro- 
per justice which will give to every man his due, 
both in this world and in that which is to come ? 
The question naturally arises in the mind, " What 
then can these sufferings be T' In reply, we remark, 
that they are the consequences which have resulted 
from the introduction of sin into our world. They no 
more constitute a part of the divine penalty for sin, 
than do the imprisonment, and all the attending anxi- 
ety, remorse, shame, and pecuniary disadvantages 
which the unfortunate murderer suffers, constitute 
his penalty, which is death, and nothing else, nor any 
thing in connection with it. 

This subject might be carried out to a considerable 
extent, but it is unnecessary, as the few hints already 



44 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

presented must conviPxce every unprejudiced mind 
that the sinner must be punished in another world, 
because, in this world, strict justice cannot be executed, 
as men often do their worst deeds at their death, and 
those, too, to the greatest possible injury of their sur- 
vivors. The innocent often suffer for, and instead of, 
the guilty, without any possibility of redress in this 
life. This wrong must then be made right in the life 
to come. Hence the punishment must be future ; and 
if future, it must be eternal, as has already been 
proved. 

Having treated of the loss of the soul, by showing 
the fallacy of some views entertained by unbelievers 
in the truth, as revealed in the gospel, we purpose 
now, briefly, to consider what really comprises the 
loss of the soul. And 1. A want of the divine image 
upon the heart. By this is meant, that the impenitent 
soul of the sinner has never become the subject of the 
regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Those who 
reject the doctrine of regeneration, regard it nothing 
more than the vain imagination of a deluded mind. 
They stumble at it because of its mysteriousness. 
But in all this, they are not only opposed to their 
own best eternal interests, but also at war with Christ 
the only Savior of men. He assured Nicodemus that 
the regeneration of the heart by the Holy Spirit was 
as mysterious as the course of the wind that blows, 
the sound of which we hear, and the effects of which 
we feel; but whence it cometh, or whether it goeth, 
is a perfect mystery to us — as much as to say, that 
our senses bear testimony to the fact, that there is 
such a thing as wind, and that it blows, but the man- 
ner of its process is beyond human comprehension. 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 45 

So is it with the regeneration of the human heart. 
Every one who experiences it has the combined 
powers of his soul and body to assure him of the fact, 
that his soul has undergone a spiritual, a moral 
change, by a power superior to human, while the 
manner of the divine operation is hid from him in 
infinite mystery. It is reasonable to suppose, then, 
that all who reject this doctrine will be void of its 
influence — they will not become the subjects of the 
grace of regeneration. Hence, their souls will lose 
that moral qualification, which is indispensable for a 
fitness for heaven. This loss is not, however, con- 
fined to those merely, who, in theory and practice, 
reject the doctrine of regeneration ; but also applies, 
with equal truth and force, to all who remain in im- 
penitence — they come not in possession of the pearl 
of great price — they receive not the white stone with 
a new name written upon it, legible only to the re- 
ceiver — they are not made new creatures in Christ 
Jesus. — They are yet in their sins — in their guilt — in 
their misery and ruin. 

2. The loss of the soul also implies a w^ant of sus- 
ceptibility to sacred impressions, a hardness and im- 
penitency of heart, together w^ith perfect darkness of 
mind as to the real, miserable condition in which 
such a soul is, and an eagerness to grasp at infidelity 
in any forni, so as to satisfy a depraved heart, and 
keep the gnawings of a guilty conscience at rest. 
What a representation of the human soul ! And, yet, 
dear reader, this may be your very condition. Think 
not that your insensibility to it is evidence in your 
favor, it is the strongest proof against you. If you 
have never experienced the regenerating influence of 



46 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

God upon your heart, and if such a picture of the 
human soul as the above do not awaken your con- 
sciousness, you may take it for granted, that in the 
above tv^o particulars your soul is lost — lost to all 
hope of heaven while you remain in that condition. 
One in such a state may pass on year after year, and 
enjoy all the Gospel privileges within reach, and wit- 
ness revival upon revival, and yet remain as stupid 
about religion as though he were an exception to the 
whole human family, being originally and practically 
pure and innocent. To such a one, the gospel with 
all its means of grace, is only a savor of death unto 
death, while to others it is a savor of life unto life. 
His soul is completely lost in a labyrinth formed by 
consummate self-conceit of his own notions of mora- 
lity. If at any time the truth reaches his heart, he 
spurns it away, and carefully and liberally distributes 
it to all within his acquaintance, or hides himself be- 
hind some refuge of lies. Thus his soul is lost in sin 
and unbelief. 

3. And finally, the loss of the soul is the loss of 
eternal glory and happiness. And O, what a loss! 
To be eternally deprived of the glory of God in hea- 
ven, and shut up in perpetual darkness, away from 
friends, and associated with none but determined 
enemies who delight in aggravating each other's con- 
dition, must be an inconceivable loss. The human 
mind can form no idea of its greatness. A few 
thoughts advanced on this point will furnish us some 
slight view of the condition of the lost soul. 

1. The sad disappointment which the impenitent 
soul will experience upon entering the world of 
spirits ; and especially at the judgment-seat of Christ. 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 47 

— All who believe in the Christian religion, whether 
saint or sinner, have some hope of at last being- 
saved. None can be convinced of personal con- 
demnation or ruin. Whatever men think of others 
being lost, they shall, certainly, by some means be 
saved. Thus, all men have a hope for salvation, even 
though it be delusive, which, however, they are not 
willing to admit. They thus live on, dreaming of 
heaven without securing a qualification for it ; conse- 
quently, when they die, they enter eternity in a state 
of delusion, and alas ! when too late they find out 
their mistake. They realize the result of their folly. 
They had deceived themselves, but not the Lord. 
Hence, when their case receives the scrutiny of a 
sin-avenging God, they are lost in utter despair. The 
Bible condemns them because they had neglected to 
ascertain its requirements — they had rejected its pure 
doctrines — they had despised its admonitions — they 
had refused to listen to its claims. Their conscience 
accuses them because they heeded not its restraints — 
they hushed its voice by self-deception, or crime, or 
infidelity. Christ condemns them, because when he 
would have saved them they turned away from him 
and refused to submit to his government, laying out 
some plan of salvation for themselves more congenial 
with the natural heart than the true and only way 
devised by Christ. The Holy Spirit condemns them, 
because when he called they would not hear — they 
would none of his reproofs. They set at naught all 
his counsels — they shamefully abused the kindest in- 
fluences of his Spirit and his truth. The saints in 
glory cond.emn them, because they profited not by 
pious example. They persecuted kind endeavors to 



48 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

save them. They reproached the humble followers of 
Jesus. They ridiculed the devout exercises and ex- 
hortations of the righteous. Hence they are lost — 
eternally lost — and aggravated with the unhappy dis- 
appointment for which they alone are to blame. 

2. They will be lost from the glorious presence of 
Christ. He informs us in his Gospel that, w^hen he 
comes to judge the world, he v^ill say unto the 
wricked, " Depart from rae, ye workers of iniquity." 
O, who can conceive the anguish of a soul thus ad- 
dressed by him who, as the Savior of sinners, w^as 
ever ready to save such a one — and thus addressed 
w^hen and w^here there is no hiding place to screen 
the guilty sinner. Thus to depart from Christ, once 
the sinner's friend, but now^ turned to be his eternal 
enemy, and to find no other one in whom he can re- 
pose confidence and secure comfort, must be truly 
lamentable ; and yet, such is really the condition of 
the finally impenitent soul. But, alas ! how few rea- 
lize their miserable destiny while running greedily 
after sin and unbelief, which ripen the soul for its 
coming destruction. Dear reader, take heed to your 
ways, lest you be among that unhappy number who 
shall hear the voice of your judge say, " Depart from 
me.'' It need not be so ; by the grace of God you 
may avoid it by applying to him now for mercy. 

3. Sinners will be lost from the company of their 
pious friends, relatives, and associates, under whose 
religious influence, example, and admonitions, they 
lived while on earth. In Matt. 25 : 31, 32, &c., it is 
said of Christ the judge : " When the Son of man 
shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with 
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 49 

and before him shall be gathered all nations ; and he 
shall separate them one frovi another, as a shepherd 
divideth the sheep from the goats," &c. Luke 13 : 
28 — '' There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 
when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, 
and all the holy prophets, in the Idngdom of God^ 
AND YOU YOURSELVES THRUST OUT." What a miser- 
able pictm'e is here presented of the future state of 
the ungodly ! What a sight will be exhibited at the 
last judgment ! Parents and children, husband and 
wife, members of one family as brothers and sisters, 
near and dear friends forever eternally separate from 
each other, and yet seen and known by one another ! 
The case of the rich man and Lazarus, as well as the 
above text, confirms this fact. But what is the most 
remarkable and worthy of notice here, is, that while 
the sight of the holy in heaven — by the wicked in 
hell — will enhance the misery of the last souls, the 
knowledge and view of the miserable thrust from 
heaven will not lessen the enjoyment of the pure and 
happy spirits in glory, because it is God's will to 
punish the wicked ; and the sanctified in heaven shall 
approve the will of God even though it consign their 
natural relations to eternal misery. Natural sympa- 
thy will be lost in eternity, because mortal will be 
immortalized and natural be spiritualized, so that the 
natural feelings we now possess towards ours, be- 
cause they are ours, will have no place in our spiritual 
affections ; we shall view all souls alike, and glorify 
God for his doings towards them. 

4. The finally impenitent will be eternally lost from 
the state of purity and the holy pursuits of the 
heavenly Jerusalem — the upper sanctuary of God. 



50 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

It may be said of them, as the apostle Peter aiBrmed 
of Simon Magus, the sorcerer, '' Thou hast neither 
part nor lot in this matter ; for thy heart is not right 
in the sight of God/' And the apostle Paul, in writ- 
ing to the Ephesians, declares that " No whoremonger, 
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an 
idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of 
Christ and of God/' He then adds, to guard us 
against those men wdio teach the contrary doctrine, 
" Let no man deceive you v/ith vain words : for he- 
cause of these things cometh the wrath of God upon 
the children of disobedience.'' These texts plainly 
show that all men are not the subjects of eternal 
glory, but that there is a clear distinction between the 
human family and their future destinies. So that, 
from the w^ord of God, we are perfectly justified in 
affirming that the soul of the wicked is lost from the 
state of purity and the holy services of the kingdom 
of glory. Indeed, it is reasonable to infer that, if 
men die in their sins, as Christ declares, and which 
has been clearly proved, and that if they eternally 
remain in that state, as has also been proved, they 
can have no moral qualification nor any disposition 
to engage in the holy employments to which the 
saints in glory will be devoted. Hence the lost soul 
will be deprived of what will make up the blessed- 
ness of the kingdom of heaven. 

5. And, finally, the lost soul will lose the eternal 
joys of heaven, and suffer the everlasting miseries of 
hell. Matt. 25 : 30 : — '*' And cast ye the unprofitable 
servant into outer dai*kness : there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. (Ver. 41.) — Then shall he 
(Christ the judge) say unto them on the left hand, 



THE LOSS OF THE SOUL. 51 

depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels. (Ver. 46.) — These 
shall go away into everlasting punishment." No 
stronger language could have been used by the sacred 
penman than the above to express our position ; and 
yet, strange as it may be, many persons reject this 
doctrine in the very face of those passages from the 
lips of Christ the Savior and Judge of men ! It is un- 
necessary to multiply Scripture proof on this point, 
for if men will not credit the above texts, or will not 
allow them to speak out their true meaning, neither 
will they believe if a thousand of such portions of 
Scripture are presented. And why ? Because they 
CONDEMN the sinner. But the eternal joys of heaven 
are lost to the impenitent sinner. What an awful 
consideration ! Are angels and saints perfectly happy 
in themselves? — and have they everything about 
them to perpetuate that happiness without inter- 
ruption? Do they derive their comfort from the 
blessed influences of Christ their Savior, in whose 
favorable presence they continually live ? Are they 
so associated together, and do their minds so compre- 
hend each other and their God, as to promote un- 
ceasing harmony in everything, whether connected 
with one another or their doings in the works of God ? 
Do they always enjoy the approbation of God in 
heaven ? O, what a loss to the despairing soul which 
is past recovery ! Dear impenitent reader, think of 
your own unhappy condition in this life, and conceive 
if you can the wretchedness of a lost soul in the 
world of spirits. The restless nights, the stings of a 
guilty conscience, the fearful expectations of future 
punishment, which so often and so alarmingly trouble 



52 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 



you in this world, may be removed — may die away, 
by resisting the Holy Spirit and the truth, or by 
cherishing infidelity and crime, or by repentance to- 
wards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; but 
remember, that the guilty soul, in the world to come, 
can find no refuge of his, no sensual pleasure, no re- 
pentance by which to allay its miserable appre- 
hensions or escape the fire of Divine indignation 
which will forever burn within the unholy soul. 
Therefore, what you do for your soul do it soon, as 
your present opportunity will speedily be gone, and 
you be left without a Savior — a friend in the day of 
God's wrath. 



LECTURE IV. 

THE MEANS BY WHICH MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 

Matt. 22 : 5. '' But they made light of it," &c. 

While man, by sin, has rendered himself morally 
unquaHfied to save his own soul, independently of the 
Holy Spirit's agency, he is fully competent, without 
foreign influence, to consummate the eternal ruin of 
his soul. This is done by men whose inclinations 
lead them into different channels of iniquity. Each 
one follows the strongest passion of his depraved na- 
ture. And notwithstanding all have certain checks 
and w^arnings against the course they take, yet they 
heedlessly pass on, until stopped in their career of im- 
piety, by some unexpected calamity or sickness, death 
or the eternal wrath of God. In calmly considering this 
solemn fact, we remark, that one of the most success- 
ful means which men employ to ruin their souls is, 
eager pursuit after the inches of this world. We 
have a very striking ilkistration of this truth, in the 
case of the young man in the gospel, who applied to 
our Lord to know what he should do to be saved. 
But, however sincerely and anxiously he enquired 
after the salvation of his soul, when he was required 
to give up his earthly possessions, and the pursuit of 
wealth, his riches overbalanced the wortiV of his soul, 
in his ow^n estimation, so that he chose rather to 
cleave to his riches than to become a self-denying fol- 
lower of Christ. This young man is not, by any 
5* 



54 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

meansj a solitary example. Thousands have made the 
same unhappy choice. And very many are daily 
sacrificing the eternal interests of their souls to the 
god of this world. Well indeed would it be for such, 
were they to heed the admonition of the inspired pen- 
men, when they thus speak in such language as the 
following: "If riches increase, set not your hearts up- 
on them.'' " They that will be rich, fall into tempta- 
tion and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful 
lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdi- 
tion.'' 

Men who are striving to be rich, feel so much the 
pressure of business, that they not only often spend 
all their energies so as to be unable to attend to the 
duties of the soul, such as the reading of the Scrip- 
tures, serious meditation and conversation, attending 
the religious assemblies on the Sabbath, and during 
the week, but they often violate their conscience by 
employing their Sabbaths to transact their worldly 
concerns, in buying, selling, making arrangements for 
the week, casting up and settling accounts, conveying 
or receiving goods, &c., &c. When there is an ap- 
parent chance of gain, (but which in the end is real 
loss, even temporally as well as spiritually,) the mere 
worlding will labor hard to satisfy his conscience that 
it is duty to violate the Sabbath, to avail himself of 
the opportunity so favorably offered. And if he can- 
not ease his conscience in any other way, he will ap- 
propriate a part of the proceeds of his ill-gotten gains 
to the cause of Christ, and thus suppose he atones 
for his crime. But, after all, he is constantly prepar- 
ing the way to lose his own soul. If he chance 
to hear the Gospel preached at any time, the world 



HOW MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 55 

with its gains press out the truth and choke the word, 
so that it produces no fruit. If he is solicited to attend 
the praying circles, where his soul might be enriched 
with the grace of God, he has no time — poor man — he 
has no time to spare for his undying soul ! no time for 
God! He has purchased oxen, and he must go and 
try them. He is about to buy a farm, and hg^must 
attend to that, or he will lose a good bargain. He is 
busily engaged in building himself a dwelling, barn, 
&c., and he has no time to pray, or to meet where 
prayer is offered to God by His people. He has con- 
tracted a heavy debt, and he must devote all his spare 
moments in meeting the demands. He has just sus- 
tained a severe loss, and he must double his diligence' 
in accumulating enough to make it good this year. 
He has a heavy cargo at sea, and its arrival has been 
delayed, so as to create considerable alarm ; hence he 
cannot think of anything but his goods. His goods 
finally arrive, and he must attend to the sale of them. 
And so on, a thousand excuses arise in the minds of 
men who give themselves up to the services of the 
god of this world, and neglect their immortal souls. 
But withal, see the ingratitude of such a one! He is 
constantly receiving good at the hand of the Lord, 
and thus is laid under continued and strong obliga- 
tions to serve the Giver of all his wealth, and yet he 
has no time to devote to Him ! What consummate 
selfishness ! what contractedness ! Who w^ould long 
sustain himself as an honest man, in respectable soci- 
ety, that should take such a course with his benefac- 
tor ? The universal expression would be, " away 
with him — he is not fit for human society — let him 
die without attendance." And, what is more, the verv 



56 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL, 

men who thus indignantly treat God and his kind 
providence, w^ould be the first to utter complaint 
against their ungrateful neighbor, even though it were 
only ingratitude of man against man, which falls very 
far below the extent of the crime of the rich man's 
ingratitude against God. 

2. Another means of effecting the souFs loss is, 
extravagant attention to the pleasures and fashions of 
this life. No person can long follow a course of sen- 
sual pleasure, without making his eternal ruin inevi- 
table. But what are called " innocent amusements'' 
are the most dangerous, and should be the most care- 
fully avoided, because a person can be regarded re- 
spectable and follow them to almost any extent desired. 
They are like the little foxes that destroy the fruitful 
vines. It is considered a very harmless thing in 
" fashionable society," to be found moving in all the 
gaiety and lightness which pride and wealth may 
suggest. But who can take the time necessary to 
adorn their persons to meet the approbation and com- 
pany of those who are prayerless and perfectly regard- 
less of serious matters, and be in a state of mind to 
call upon God for mercy ? Who can frequent the 
halls of parties and the ball-room, and take that part 
in the scenes which engage the attention of those in- 
terested on such occasions, and be prepared to give 
their hearts to God, in order to save their souls ? Who 
can take delight in visiting the theatre, and feel charmed 
with the appearances, the company, the plays, and the 
actors of such sinks of iniquity, and have a disposi- 
tion to seek superior bliss in the services of God ? 
The mere mentioning of these queries must convince 
all who would be saved, according to the Gospel plan 



now MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 57 

of mercy (and there is no other way to be saved), 
that they must make up their minds either to aban- 
don them, or directly refuse eternal Hfe in Christ Je- 
sus. For our Lord and Savior declares, that it is 
impossible for us to serve God and the world at the 
same time — " Ye cannot serve God and mamm.on'' — 
and he emphatically assures us, that *' If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
cross and follow me." So that, how^ever crossing to 
our natural ambition it is to oppose the desires, the 
smiles, and the pleasures of the gay and fashionable, 
we must deny ourselves those carnal gratifications, 
and take up the discipline which Christ has laid down 
for us to observe, in order to be his faithful followers 
and servants, and enjoy his eternal approbation, 
which is much better than the momentary encomium 
which the fashionable world holds out as an induce- 
ment for us to follow them in the soul-destroying pur- 
suits. 

3. Besides the means already noticed by which the 
young, especially, drown their souls in perdition, the 
neglecting of the means of grace, which God employs 
to save souls, is no less important for our present con- 
sideration. By the means of grace, we understand 
the preached Gospel, the ^inspired writings of God 
called the Scriptures, the influence of the Holy Spi- 
rit, the prayer and conference meetings, various 
events of Divine providence, &c. &c. These are the 
means which God has ordained to be improved to the 
salvation of souls ; hence, all who negle^ct them de- 
spise God's ways of saving, and are consequently lost. 
Christ, while on earth, in praying to his Father for 
his disciples, said, " Sanctify them through thy truth, 



58 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

thy word is truth/' "Thus v/e see, that the great 
teacher of truth regarded the Bible, the word of God, 
the means through which men are to be sanctified — 
saved. And as early as the days of the inspired 
Psalmist, this fact was held important in the mind of 
pious David. He first assumes the position of an 
enquirer, and then as a teacher, and says, ''Where- 
withal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By 
taking heed thereto, (to his way), according to thy 
loordr — Ps. 119: 9. He thus addresses the young who 
would avoid the follies and snares, and ruin of sin, 
and urges them especially to let the word of God dic- 
tate the course they should pursue. And in Ps. 19: 7, 
he informs us, that " The Law of the Lord is perfect, 
converting the soul.'' Thus showing the ability of 
God's law, as a means, when observed, of saving the 
soul. And in Ps. 119: 155, he shows the serious con- 
sequences of not adhering to this means, viz. : " Sal- 
vatiori is far from the wicked; for they seek not thy 
statutes'' Statutes is another name given to the word 
of God. And Paul, in writing to Timothy, says, 
" And that, from a child, thou hast known the Holy 
Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto sal- 
vation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus." — 2 
Tim. 3: 15. He then adds, in verses 16, 17, "All 
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is pro- 
fitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness : that the man of God 
may he perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
works." So that the Scriptures were given by God 
to be the means, in connection with others, to make 
men perfect in Christ Jesus ; but if they are neglected, 



now MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 59 

the designed end will not be accomplished in the de- 
spisers, the neglecters of the means of salvation. 

The word of God was not only given to be read, 
and remembered, and obeyed by men; but it was also 
provided to be the source from whence his commis- 
sioned ministers should receive the instructions which 
the condition of men from time to time might require. 
Hence, under the Old Testament dispensation, the 
prophets were called to repeat to the people the law 
of God, giving them line upon line, and precept upon 
precept, here a little and there a little, to save men 
from violating the commands of God, and to prevent 
the loss of their souls, as well as to render them 
scripturally intelligent. And under the Gospel eco- 
nomy, Christ commissioned his ministers to " Go into 
all the world, and preach the Gospel unto every crea- 
ture.'' The Gospel is the word of God contained in 
the New Testament, and comprises all the inspired 
writings of the Bible. The truths, then, of the Bible, 
are to be preached by the Gospel ministers to all within 
their reach or hearing. The Scriptures inform us, that 
" without faith, it is impossible to please God.'' And 
we are also assured that '' faith cometh by hearing ; 
and hearing by the word of God which is preached." 
But if men neglect to hear the v/ord preached, they 
alone are to blame for want of that saving faith 
which commends the believing soul to the mercy and 
favor of God. Hence, the Gospel may be preached 
with the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit 
to the salvation of many souls, and yet have no effect 
upon those who despise this means of grace. The 
neglecters of Gospel privileges are not, however, 
merely confined to those who do not hear the Gospel 



60 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

preached, though they are very guilty in the sight of 
Heaven, and cannot be saved in such negligence ; 
but the evil applies with equal force to those w^ho 
hear without doing the commands of God. Christ, 
in the Gospel by John, associates practical faith in 
God, as indispensable w^ith hearing, in order to the 
enjoyment of eternal life. John 5 : 24 — " Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, 
and helieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting 
life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is 
passing from death unto life." And the apostle Paul 
definitely affirms, that, " iV(9^ the hearers of the law 
are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be 
justified.'' — Rom. 2 : 13. The admonition of the apos- 
tle James is directly to the point. He says, " But be 
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 
your own selves ; but whoso looketh into the perfect 
law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a 
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man 
shall be blessed in his deed.'* — James 1 : 22, 25. Thus, 
we learn, from the united testimony of the sacred 
writers, that that person is a neglecter of the preached 
Gospel, who does not associate faith and obedience 
with hearing. Hence, we learn, too, the presumption 
which some assume, that because they are strict in 
their attendance upon this means of grace, the minis- 
try of the word, their salvation is secured to them, 
not thinking that the very Gospel they hear will prove 
their accuser in the coming judgment if they do not 
obey it. Neither shall they be justified who neglect 
to hear it, supposing that they then shall not be guilty 
for not obeying what they have not heard. But such 
should remember that God holds those responsible for 



HOW MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 61 

a knowledge of the truth and of their duty, Vv^ho live 
within reach of that knowledge, so that none shall 
escape his condemnation, but those who obey his re- 
quirements by humbly repenting and believing in 
Christ unto salvation. The impenitent sinner is pur- 
sued in all the various windings which he takes to 
render the uneven paths of his vicious life pleasant 
and secure from sacred influences. The Holy Spirit 
meets him in his scenes of business, of pleasure, and 
of crime — in the midnight watches, and in the day- 
light toils — wherever he is, whatever he is doing or 
enjoying, he often feels the superior power of Him 
who never slumbers nor sleeps. But as often does 
the sinner resist the holy influences employed to en- 
lighten, to convict, to convert, and to sanctify him. 
This efficient means of grace is neglected. This audi- 
ble voice of mercy is drowned in revelry, and in 
scepticism. Though the sinner, like Agrippa, may 
tremble before God, yet he conceives a want of time, 
or a favorable opportunity, to obey the invitations of 
mercy, or the force of the influence employed for his 
salvation. Hence, he delays — he says, " Go thy way 
for this time ; at a convenient season I will call for 
thee." But, alas ! that time never comes with some, 
and their souls are eternally lost ! 

It has become a matter of mere fashion for the 
great mass of community to attend Divine service, 
more or less, on the Sabbath. And, because it is fa- 
sliioiiable, many impenitent persons are induced to 
occupy the sanctuary of the Lord, fror^ Sabbath to 
Sabbath, to hear the Gospel preached by a favorite 
preacher. But, as by common consent, the prayer 
and conference meetings are mainly attended by pro- 
6 



62 THE VALUE OP THE SOUL. 

fessors of religion, the unconverted are seldom, if 
ever, present, to witness the fervor, the sincerity, and 
the effects of the faithful, and devout prayers of the 
pious. Perhaps there is no means of grace which is 
more blessed of God in the conversion of sinners 
than this, and yet none is more neglected by those 
who might be profited. The common saying, "It is 
only a prayer-meeting," expresses as fully the state of 
the unregenerate hearts of those who utter it, as the 
indulgence of the most depraved appetite. And when 
employed by professors of religion, it is the strongest 
evidence of a backslidden heart, or a deceived soul, 
that can be found. Hence, the person who neglects 
the prayer-meeting, is despising the source and the 
means of his eternal glory ; he is preparing to lose his 
soul for ever. 

God employs every means which - is calculated, if 
rightly improved by his intelligent creatures, to pro- 
mote their eternal salvation. He does for us all that 
we could require, taking everything into considera- 
tion. His wise providence is over all for their good. 
Sometimes he deals out the abundance of his favors, 
and in return, receives nothing but abuse and ingrati- 
tude. At other times he visits us with his judgments; 
and when neither mercy nor judgment v^ill awaken 
and arouse the impenitent, he cuts them off in their 
career of rebellion, and they have no longer space for 
repentance. He calls, and is distinctly heard by the 
judgments he executes in the earth ; but no sooner is 
the calamity past, than men forget the power that has 
smitten — the rod that has chastened. A remarkable 
death may have made inroad into an ungodly family, 
and the survivors may, for a time, be serious-minded, 



HOW MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 63 

and attend the various means of grace, and be, appa- 
rently, much profited by the event ; but, too soon, 
they give indications of carelessness in the things of 
religion, and become neglecters of their best interests. 
The same facts apply to those who sustain loss of 
property, of health, of reputation, &c. God designs 
good by these afflictions ; but men do not take them 
to heart. They suffer every means of mercy and of 
judgment to pass away unimproved, until, by their 
neglect, their souls are lost in perpetual despair. 

4. The soul is lost by cherishing erroneous senti- 
ments. Some people entertain the notion, that " it 
matters not what a man believes, if he is only honest 
in his faith,'' and the more pious part will add, " if 
he is only a Christian/' But a moment's considera- 
tion of this subject will show, that such notions are 
more the result of unpardonable ignorance and self- 
deception than of candid and intelligent reflection on 
Bible truth. The sacred writers inform us that the 
Scriptures were given to us by God, for our " thorough 
instruction i7i righteousness." Hence they must con- 
tain all that is essential to our belief and practice ; 
and that, too, in such simple language, as to be per- 
fectly uncterstood by all who would believe and obey. 
If this be so, then there must be only " one faith,'' as 
the apostle says — i.e., only one way of believing all the 
truths of the Bible for all who are saved ; and but 
one practice of obedience — z.e., all who are saved, re- 
pent of their sins, believe on Christ, and receive the 
regeneration of the heart, and obey the Divine com- 
mands in this life, indulging no more their pernicious 
sentiments nor following any longer their former sins. 
But here is A, who denies the essential divinity of 



64 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Christ, because he cannot conceive how He could be 
both God and man, notwithstanding the /act is plain- 
ly declared in the Bible. For the same reason he 
might reject the Being of God, and many other im- 
portant facts even in nature and as associated with 
man. The question may here be urged, " how can a 
man of this character apply to Christ, the only Savior, 
for salvation T' He has no confidence in the ability 
of this Savior to answer his prayer, and of course he 
will not ask salvation at his hand. So that, in order 
to be saved by him, it is evidently essential to enter- 
tain correct views of his character or be forever des- 
titute of eternal life. Thus we learn, that though A 
may be honest and sincere in rejecting the proper 
divinity of Christ, yet it is a matter of great moment 
what a man believes concerning his Savior. 

Again : B has conceived the idea, that somehow, 
through the infinite mercy of God, all men, of what- 
ever character, will finally be received into the 
kingdom of heaven, and, consequently, there can be 
no future punishment — no regeneration of heart 
necessary — no repentance and faith required. In a 
word, he is led to reject the doctrine of justification 
by faith in the Redeemer, and establish his hope of 
future glory on some other foundation than Christ — 
notwithstanding the Scriptures so clearly teach the 
doctrines he despises, and unequivocally affirm that 
there is no salvation in any other but Christ. How, 
then, can such a one be saved, even with sincerity in 
his way of believing ? The Jews were sincere in 
believing that they w^ere doing God's service when 
they put Christ to death. Paul sincerely thought he 
ought to do many things against Christ and his 



HOW MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 65 

cause, while persecuting the early Christians.* The 
devils, too, sincerely believe in God, and yet tremble 
under his Divine displeasure. Hence it is a matter 
of importance what a man believes, since, according 
to what he believes, he will do. Faith and practice 
will correspond. No man will repent of his sins and 
believe in Christ for salvation, who rejects future pun- 
ishment and the doctrine of regeneration by the Holy 
Spirit. Consequently, such a one will lose his soul 
without remedy. Again : C is a person of amiable 
disposition and unblemished character, and on his 
character he boasts of eternal salvation. He is per- 
fectly honest in beUeving that so kind, holy, and per- 
fect a being as God is, will not punish him with 
eternal banishment from heaven, whatever may be- 
come of the vile sinner. Thus he lays out a plan of 
salvation to suit his peculiar case, and will not submit 
. to the consideration of any other. In his own esti- 
mation, he is too rio;hteous to need the sanctifvin^ in- 
fluence of the Holy Spirit; hence he rejects the 
doctrine of regeneration of the heart by the Spirit 
of God. He thinks he has never committed sin, and 
therefore he is not required to repent and ask for- 
giveness from God ; hence he rejects the doctrine of 
justification by faith. He is virtually saving himself, 
independently of the only Savior, Jesus Christ. We 
might ask the candid reader, can such a one be saved 
even with all the sincerity of his faith ? If not, then 
surely " it is matter what a man believes, even though he 
be sincere and honest.'' But now suppos^ it were true 
that A, B, and C, were admitted into the kingdom of 
heaven with those who were saved by Christ by re- 
pentance ^nd faith, then there would be A giving 
6* 



QQ THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

praise to God, and not to the Lamb, forever and ever. 
And B would adopt a song of praise to himself for 
having suffered the punishment due- to his crimes, in 
his own person, by which he secured a seat in 
heaven, having been purified by suffering on earth 
and in hell. And C would magnify his own virtues, 
and ascribe glory to himself for having merited the 
eternal smiles of God by his amiable character and 
perfect obedience. But the innumerable host of the 
sanctified of the Lord, would say, '' Holy, holy, holy, 
is the Lord God Almighty, that sitteth upon the throne 
forever, and the Lamb that was slain for us," &c. 
Dear reader, we fancy that you tremble at the 
thought of such a diversity of •subjects and exercises 
in heaven — and well you may — if true. But be not 
alarmed— there is no real cause for it. Be assured 
that all who reach heaven will be saved through the 
merits of Christ alone — and they will be saved by him 
according to his plan of salvation or be eternally 
separated from him. Hence, many will lose their un- 
dying souls by embracing wrong sentiments respect- 
ing God, his law, his plan of redemption, themselves, 
and the future life. 

5. Men may lose their souls by mingling with vile 
and sceptical associations, where vice and infidelity 
are cherished, and religious influences are stifled, and 
procrastination of the things of eternity is encouraged. 
No person can associate with the vicious, the pro- 
fane, and the sceptical, without partaking more or 
less of their spirit. The young, especially, are easy 
victims of debauchery and infidelity. There are 
various clubs formed in almost every community, but 
more especially in cities and large towns, the design of 



HOW MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 67 

which is to enlist the youth in matters of discussion 
that have either a direct or an indirect aim against 
the foundation, principles, and duties of the Christian 
religion — against the Bible — against God. By ad- 
hering to these societies many a young man of pro- 
mise has laid the foundation of his profligacy and 
ruin, both for time and for eternity. The card-table, 
the nine-pin alley, the sportsman's ground, the bar- 
room, the obscene company, the pleasure scenes, the 
Sabbath excursions, the horse-races, the cock-fight- 
ing, the ball-room, the dancing-school, and the thea- 
tre, are all pursued by the vile combinations of dissi- 
pated youth, who have taken their first lessons in 
irreligious meetings, clilbs, or associations of a less 
distinguished character. How alarming is the sight 
to the Christian, to witness the crowds of youth, and 
persons of all ages and of both sexes, eagerly listen- 
ing to the foul and cunning harangues of the infidel 
declaimers who infest the populous towns of our free 
and happy country. How many a pious parent 
is heart-stricken at the thought, that the son of his 
most earnest prayers is mingling with the company 
that defame his God and his religion, and is drinking 
into his soul the poison of infidelity, which, if per- 
sisted in, will terminate his career of impiety in 
eternal despair. Dear reader, are you such a son ? 
Be not forgetful of the silent devotions of your fond 
parents in your behalf. O, think of the earnest soli- 
citude they have had for you while in your scenes of 
revelry and associations of infidelity. Let not their 
pious admonitions and instructions be lost on your 
soul. Fear to mingle longer with those who, by their 
fascinations, would drown your soul in eternal perdi- 



QS THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

tion. Rely upon it, that, though they may ruin your 
soul by their smiles or their frowns, while your path 
is even and smooth, they will surely forsake you in 
the trying hour of death, and will afford you no re- 
lief in the judgment of the last day. Then, by all 
means, let the religious influence of your godly parents 
have effect upon your heart. Pray, who has the 
strongest claim to your confidence, your affections, 
your respect, your obedience ? Is it the man who 
leads you to dishonor your parents ? Is it he who 
would destroy your confidence in the integrity of 
your parents ? Is it he who would, by his ingenuity 
and sarcasm, cause you to despise, reject, and ridi- 
cule your parents' pure and undefiled religion ? In a 
word, is it he who is aiming at the eternal ruin of 
your soul ? O, no ! But your pious parents who 
gave you being, who have cared for you and sup- 
ported you from your earliest infancy — fed, clothed, 
protected, and educated you, and taught you those 
moral principles of the Bible which, if observed, 
would lead you to honor, to usefulness, and to happi- 
ness in this life, and to eternal glory in the life to 
come. Let it, then, be deeply imprinted upon your 
memory, that vile and sceptical associations will surely 
ruin the soul for ever, and avoid them as your worst foes. 
Receive this timely admonition from one who loves 
your soul far above the most precious treasure on 
earth, and you will escape the eternal loss of the soul. 
6. The sold of the sinner may he lost by delaying 
the time of repentance, — It is a common but true say- 
ing, that " procrastination is the thief of time.'' But it 
is also true that it is more. It is the thief of the im- 
perishable treasures of heaven, which it steals from 



now MEN LOSE THEIR SOULS. 69 

the soul that indulges its charms, to neglect attend- 
ing to the things which constitute its real joys. The 
human heart is naturally inclined to put off the affairs 
of to-day until to-morrow, or for a more convenient 
season, supposing that the opportunities of another 
time will be more abundant, or more favorable than 
the present. And it is fearfully true, that this course 
has peopled the regions of eternal darkness with a 
greater number of lost souls than any other one thing. 
The distinguishing feature of Fehx's impenitence was 
procrastination, for though he trembled under the 
force of Paul's reasoning, he said, "Go thy wayfoi^ this 
time, at a convenient season I will call for thee.'' But 
as there is no account given of his ever making it con- 
venient to call for Paul, to know" what he should do 
to be saved, it is to be feared that his indefinite season 
never occurred ; and his soul, no doubt, was lost from 
that very period w^hen its salvation was proffered him 
while in a state of conviction in view of his sins and 
the approaching judgment, where he would be called 
to answer for the many and grievous offences which 
he had committed against Heaven. That very season 
may have been the time of his being sealed unto eter- 
nal glory, or unto eternal condemnation ! Solemn 
thought ! And yet, O sinner, though you may 
tremble for foolish, unfortunate Felix, you may be now 
in the same condition that he was, before he decided 
against his eternal interests. This solemn admonition 
may be the last one which God will favor you to enjoy ; 
and should it be so, you are ruined for ever. Then 
listen to the voice of God in mercy, lest you finally 
hear it in the loud thunders of his wrath. Now he 
says, '' Behold now is the accepted time : behold now 



70 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

is the day of salvation/' But how^ soon he will say, 
" Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity, I never knew 
you" — you cannot tell, but God knows. And should 
he address you to night, as he did the rich man — the 
man of anticipated pleasure, saying, " Thou fool, this 
night thy soul shall be required of thee" — O, what a 
miserable eternity you would experience. Then be 
admonished and not trifle away your precious mo- 
ments, and your valuable soul, and the inestimable 
treasures of heaven. 



LECTURE V. 

SALVATION IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE FINALLY LOST SOUL. 

Matt. 16 : 26. " What Tvill a man give in exchange for his soul ?" 

Our Lord, who knew the inestimable value of the 
soul, after inquiring what advantage a man would 
gain by preferring the whole world before the salva- 
tion of his own soul, adds, "What will a man give in 
exchange for his soul?'' i, e., suppose a man gain the 
whole world, and in doing it he lose his own soul, 
what can he find of sufficient value to restore that 
loss ? There is evidently, in the very face of this 
inquiry, a positive indication that the lost soul can 
never be saved, under any consideration, or by any 
means. No, not even by the Savior himself. A few 
arguments will justify this assertion. — And, 

1. That it now is, and ever loill he, beyond the power 
of man, by any act or suffering, to redeem his own 
or another's soul. If this sentiment were not true, 
the Savior of sinners had never been promised — 
had never been referred to — had never come — had 
never died and risen again to justify the believing 
soul. There is no natural or moral power in man by 
which he can, at will, take hold on heaven, when lost. 
Indeed, the will of a lost soul is opposed to holiness 
and the holy, hence, he is morally incapable of de- 
siring or of receiving heaven. He has no power to 
arrest Divine justice, or to excite Divine sympathy for 



72 THE VALUE OP THE SOUL. 

himself, much less for another, in the same wretched 
state ; so that he is iri^etrievahly lost, so far as human 
ability can effect a change in his condition. His 
cries might be continual and sufficient to excite hu- 
man sympathy, even to the violation of civil laws or 
human rights; but they could have no effect upon the 
just and holy God. The rich man, while in hell, lifted 
up his wistful eyes to heaven, and expressed the deep 
anxiety of his soul and body in his address to Abra- 
ham, whom he called Father ; but, however sympa- 
thetic were the expressions of his countenance, and 
his miserable condition, and his address, he could not 
even move a glorified saint who had possessed hu- 
man sympathy while upon the earth. Now being 
divested of everything but what was consistent with 
the infinite justice of God, he could only utter a sen- 
timent expressive of the will of Him against whom 
the sinner had transgressed with a high hand, and 
who had with determined greediness preferred this 
world before the only God and the true riches. 

The lost sinner cannot affect the mind of God by 
any appeal that he would make, of having been bene- 
volent to the poor — in sympathizing and relieving 
the afflicted — in defending the widow, the fatherless, 
or the oppressed — in liberally and actively sustaining 
and extending the Kingdom of Christ in the world. 
Neither can he plead that he was a professed disciple 
of Christ, and as such advocated his cause in oppo- 
sition to infidehty and crime, and in so doing, was 
instrumental in the salvation of souls, and in strength- 
ening Zion, and in checking the progress of unbelief 
and sin. Neither can he urge that he was generally 
applauded by men for his external deportment, his 



NO SALVATION FOR THE LOST SOUL. 73 

intelligence, his amiability of temper, his respectabi- 
lity as a citizen and as a man of fortune. Neither 
can he claim any favor on account of his embarrass- 
ments, losses, afflictions, or unfavorable circumstances, 
for attending to the concerns of his soul. He cannot 
charge the maisfortune of the loss of his soul to the 
prejudices which he cherished against the religion of 
Christ, against the Church, and against Christians, on 
account of the imperfections of true believers, or the 
shameful sins and dishonesty of the deceived or false 
professor of true religion. We argue, 

2. That the atonement of Christ can have no effect 
to save the lost soul which has passed the hounds of time, 
and entered into the eternal world. — It is true, Christ 
came to seek and to save lost sinners : but his power 
to save extends no farther than the present life — the 
future life is a state of confirmation of what is done 
on earth and in time. This life is the period of man's 
probation, the time when he should prepare for ano- 
ther state of existence. The Scriptures speak of it 
in that light. They afford no hope of future bliss but 
to those who improve the present seed-time. The 
life to come is the state of retribution, the harvest or 
reaping season. Hence, '•' whatever a man sows in 
this life, whether good seed to eternal glory, or bad 
seed to eternal misery, that shall he reap in eternity/' 
Christ is now ready, while the sinner lives, to do his 
part to save the penitent soul. He will cast none 
such away. But however willing he is now to save, 
is no argument that he must of necessity accommo- 
date himself and his atonement to the slothful, the 
vicious, and the unbelieving, who listen not to his 
pressing invitations of mercy — or who falsely hope 
7 



74 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

for future restoration. The united testimony of 
Scripture is, " Seek ye the Lord while he may be 
found ; call ye upon him while he is near.'' " Behold, 
NOW is the accepted time ; behold now is the day of 
salvation.'' It is exceedingly difficult to reconcile 
these passages of Divine truth with the flattering but 
false hope of the sinner, that God will finally save his 
lost soul because of what Christ has done. But it 
should be remembered that God, in his word, speaks 
understandingly and consistently v/ith his whole 
course of conduct towards his creatures. Hence he 
does not require men to do or to receive now what 
they can as well realize in another state of existence. 
And if he require us to secure his salvation now, or 
in this life, as a preparation for eternity, he virtually 
affirms the impossibility of gaining that salvation in 
another world; or of being happy there without a 
previous preparation. 

There are several striking instances recorded in 
the Gospels w^hich illustrate these facts with that 
force which the Divine teacher intended should im- 
press the reader with the solemn importance of timely 
attending to the things of his soul w4th respect to the 
future state. 

The case of the foolish virgins is given to remind 
us of the sudden and unexpected coming of Christ to 
call the careless sinner away from the privileges of 
the Gospel, showing, that when this is done, all hope 
of their salvation is vain and lost. For when the 
door of mercy is shut, continued knocking and earn- 
est beseeching cannot secure an entrance into the 
favorable presence of Christ. 

The case of the unjust steward, who was unex- 



NO SALVATION FOR THE LOST SOUL. 75 

pectedly summoned to give up his stewardship, and 
render a strict account of his proceedings w^ith re- 
spect to his lord's affairs. And there is no intimation 
that he afterwards received' favor fi^om his master, but 
that he conducted still more wickedly, dishonestly 
(though wisely for himself) with his employer's 
goods. We are thus taught that the impenitent sin- 
ner, after he renders up his account, and is shut out 
of heaven, will continue to exhibit the depravity of 
his soul, and never approach any nearer to repentance 
than when first condemned. 

Another very solemn fact is presented by Christ 
respecting the hopeless condition of the finally con- 
demned sinner. It is recorded in Luke 13 : 24-28- 
The words are as follows : '' Strive to enter in at the 
strait gate ; for many, I say unto you, will seek to 
enter in and s kail not he able. When once the master 
of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, 
and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the 
door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us : and he shall 
answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye 
are ; Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and 
drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our 
streets. But he shall say, / tell you, I know you not 
whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye workers of 
iniquity. There shall be Vv'eeping and gnashing of 
teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, 
and you yourselves thrust out.'' 

These solemn declarations of our Lord indicate the 
decided position he will assume in the coming judgment 
and teach us the following important truths: 1. That 
men should put forth their utmost energies to obtain 



76 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

salvation, "strive (i.e., agonize, press on, urge your 
v^ay) to enter in at the strait gate," for Christ has 
opened it, and invites all to enjoy the privilege afforded 
to secure heaven. 2. That " many shall seek to enter 
in but shall not be able,'' because they come too late, 
as the sequel shows. 3. That the period will come 
when the door of mercy and of heaven will be shut. 
4. That then all the efforts, and pleadings, and appeals 
of the lost sinner will be hopeless. 5. The master 
of the house, Jesus Christ, who was once ready to 
save, now says to those without, ^' Depart from me, 
I never knew you.'' That will torment the disap- 
pointed sinner more than all else. To go away from 
Christ and heaven ! O who can endure it. 6. That 
when they are thus driven away from Christ and 
heaven, they will express the keenest anguish of their 
souls, by weeping and gnashing their teeth, while they 
look up and behold the innumerable host of happy 
saints around the throne of God, " and they them- 
selves thrust out.'' Thus they shall see Christ, and 
saints, and heaven, but never enjoy them. 

3. The impossibility of the salvation of the finally 
lost soul is plain, because when his portion shall have 
been given in the judgment, and he becomes the subject 
of punishment, there is no intercession between God 
and him, and without an intercession there is no sal- 
vation, Jesus Christ now occupies the position of 
mediator to advocate the cause of all who apply to 
him for mercy. But, in the judgment, he will assume 
the character of judge, and, as such, he cannot, he 
will not, sympathize with the incorrigible sinners — he 
will not plead their condition before the Father. They 
once had the opportunity of his intercessions, but re- 



NO SALVATIOl^ FOR THE LOST SOUL. 77 

fused to seek them. Their whole course of Hfe has 
been determined opposition against him and his in- 
terests, and he must condemn them; in order to be just 
to himself, to his kingdom, and to the condemned 
themselves. This condemnation, being passed by him 
in eternity, cannot he revei^sed, for his loords are unal- 
terable, and his purposes shall not be made void to 
save one lost soul. O ! how wretched, then, in the 
extreme, will be the eternal portion of an undying 
soul, left without the least faint hope of deliverance ! 
Dear reader, do not vainly dream of heaven while you 
stray away from Christ, your only Savior; for, be 
assured, if you do, you will awake in sad disap- 
pointment, from which your guilty, sin-polluted soul 
can never be released. Go to Christ, then, who in- 
vites you as a friend— fall prostrate at his feet — plead 
guilty before him, and humbly implore his mercy, be- 
lieving in his willingness and ability to save you now ; 
and your soul will taste that the Lord is good, and 
his salvation more to be desired than all things else. 
And when he comes to receive his precious jewels, 
and gather together in one all who are in Him, you 
shall be among them to enjoy his eternal smiles, in his 
glorious kingdom of everlasting rest. 



7# 



LECTURE VI. 

CHRIST THE ONLY COMPETENT SAVIOR FOR ALL WHO 
ARE NOT FINALLY LOST. 

1 Tim. 1 : 15. " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all ac- 
ceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; 
of whom I am chief." 

The apostle Paul, in this chapter, as in many other 
parts of his writings, refers to his own case as having 
been the worst and most hopeless of all sinners, on 
whom mercy had been, or could be, bestowed. He 
had, before his conversion, so conducted toward 
Christ and his Church, and individual' Christians, that 
though God, for Christ's sake, had forgiven him, he 
could not be satisfied to forgive himself When speak- 
ing of the abundant mercy of Christ, he always 
seemed to have humbling views of his own condition 
as a converted sinner. Notwithstanding God had 
exalted him to be the chief of the apostles, yet he 
would not regard himself better than the chief of 
sinners, save by grace alone. 

The case of Saul of Tarsus, then, affords the vilest, 
the most despairing soul, that is truly penitent, all the 
encouragement necessary to inspire humble confi- 
dence in the Savior of sinners. Christ is now as 
ready to save all who come to him in faith, as he was 
in the apostolic age of the world. He is fully com- 
petent to meet any case this side of et^nit3\ His 
business into our world was for that purpose. 



I 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 79 

There are several facts embraced in the text which 
will naturally lead us to illustrate this truth. And in 
the further treatment of the subject we purpose to 
consider, — 

1. The import of the apostle's saying — That Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the 
chief. 

2. The character of this saying. It is faithful. 

3. The extent of its claim. It is worthy of uni- 
versal reception. 

And, I. That Christ Jesus came into the world 
TO SAVE sinners. — lu discussing this point, we design, 

1. To treat briefly of the coming of Christ into the 
world. It is a remarkable fact that, when Christ was 
spoken of by^ the sacred penman who wrote before his 
advent, and by those who wrote after it, he was re- 
ferred to as one who already existed ; and when he 
spoke of his own coming, he almost invariably af- 
firmed that he came from heaven — from the eternal 
world. These facts, if no others were presented, 
clearly prove his pre-existence. 

It may by some be regarded uncalled for, to argue 
Christ's pre-existence, in this discourse ; but we con- 
sider it all-important to show the sinner that his Sa- 
vior is competent to save him on the ground of his 
eternal, infinite being, from the fact that a Savior 
short of such would not be sufficient to inspire suit- 
able confidence in his ability and adaptedness to meet 
the variety and extent of the appHcations made be- 
fore him. y 

To prove that Christ did exist as God, before he en- 
tered upon his earthly mission, is but a trifling matter, 
with the Bible in our hands. And if this is done, it 



80 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

establishes the fact, incontrovertibly, that he is the 
eternal God and Savior of his people. For as God, 
in eternity, He did not exist as an angel or as a mere 
saint, as some would fain make us believe. 

Moses, in giving us a history of creation, com- 
mences by saying : '' In the beginning God created 
the heaven and the earth.'' And John, the beloved 
and familiar disciple of Christ, in his New Testament 
record of the creation, says: ''In the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word 
was God. All things were made by him ; and with- 
out him laas not anything made that was made.'' 
Thus we learn, from both these accounts, 1, That be- 
fore time and things began to exist, the eternal God 
lived ; 2, That this God and the Word, were the same 
infinite creator; and 3, That God the Word com- 
menced time and things by creation. So that what 
existed before creation was begun, must have been 
uncreated. 

It now becomes necessary for us to ascertain more 
particularly who " the Word" is. John continues his 
account of the Creator throughout the first chapter of 
his Gospel, and in verse 14, he affirms, " The Word 
was madejlesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld 
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 
Father) /?i/Z of grace and truth J' The first clause of 
this verse agrees with the apostle Paul's assertion in 
1 Tim. 3:16. " God was manifest in the flesh," &c., 
&c., which fact he introduces by acknowledging that, 
though it is a mystery, it is an incontrovei^tible fact.-^- 
(See the whole text as therein recorded, and, if possi- 
ble, apply it to any other being.) — Neither is it very 
difficult to understand who is " the only begotten of 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 81 

the Father.'' It cannot really and fully apply to any 
but to Christ. And in ver. 17 of the same historical 
chapter, John informs us that ''grace and truth came 
by Jesus Christ'' The facts embraced in this whole 
account are, 1. That He who existed before all cre- 
ated beings was the eternal, uncreated God. 2. That 
this God was called " the Word.'' 3. That this God 
the Word created all things that were made. 4. 
That this God the Word '' was made" or " was ma- 
nifest" in human nature, termed '•' the flesh." 5. That 
he \Y8ls Jesus Christ full of grace and truth, which he 
communicated to men. 6. That he was " the only 
begotten Son" of the Father. Hence, as the Father 
was of Divine nature and infinite, so also is the Son. 
They constitute one being in essence, but assume two 
respective positions in human redemption for its com- 
pletion. 

Christ expresses his pre-existence and Divinity still 
more clearly, than even the Apostle^ John did, while 
engaged in his most solemn devotions — a time above 
all others, when he would be careful to utter such 
sentiments and employ such language as would not 
conflict with trutti. In prayer to his Father, as re- 
corded in John 17: 5, he says, "And now, O Fa- 
ther, glorify thou me with thine ownself, with the 
glory which / had with thee before the world was.'' 
In the context he affirms that he had finished his 
work upon the earth, and being about to depart and 
enter his former abode, he desires again to participate 
in that infinite glory which was consonknt only with 
the Divine Being, and to enjoy that mysterious con- 
nection with the self, the eternal nature of the Father 
which had subsisted between the Father and the Son 



82 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

before creation was— i.e., eternally. We cannot con- 
ceive, w^ho could candidly deny the Divinity of Christ, 
founded on his pre-existence, in view of this honest 
expression of him who best knew the relation He sus- 
tained with the Father. 

The peculiar circumstances attending the coming 
of Christ might here be profitably considered, but the 
limits of this discourse will only admit of a mere 
glance at it. Suffice it to say, that, when all hope 
of mercy failed, and man, who had sinned, was incom- 
petent to save himself, Jesus Christ the Savior was 
promised to make atonement for the guilty and help- 
less. This fact was kept before the human mind from 
age to age by prophecy, until the " due time" had ar- 
rived for its accomplishment by his incarnation, which 
was announced to our world by a messenger from the 
shining ones that wait around the throne of God in 
heaven. The narrative of this event is very striking. 
It informs us, that while certain shepherds were 
watching their flocks at night, probably midnight, 
they discovered the angel of the Lord suddenly ap- 
proach them, attended with an inconceivably bright 
light, called " the glory of the Lord, shining round 
them.'' They became exceedingly alarmed, no doubt 
fearing some awful calamity was at hand. But the 
angel having come upon an errand of mercy, sought 
first to allay the shepherds' fears, by introducing the 
good news of Christ's coming with the important 
words, " Fear not.'' He thus prepared their minds to 
receive the consoling truth, with profit and under- 
standingly, for in their fright they would not have 
been prepared to listen to, or to understand, what 
was said to them. The way now being fully opened, 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 83 

the heavenly messenger adds, " For behold — look at 
the fact I am about to relate with admiration — I 
bring you good tidings, of great joy, which shall be to 
all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city 
of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord,'' &c. 

The coming of Christ, at this time, attracted uni- 
versal attention. Some of his devout servants assem- 
bled together at the place of his nativity, to pay him 
that homage which was due him as the King of 
kings and Lord of lords. But others as diligently 
sought to find him that they might destroy his life, 
fearing that he should occupy the mean palace of 
earthly grandeur, not knowing that his kingdom was 
not of this world. But though they were defeated in 
their vain and cruel attempts upon his life, yet the 
whole region of country about where he was born 
presented a most lamentable scene. Children were 
murdered, and mothers were made to mourn the loss 
of their beloved ones by the barbarous conduct of the 
enemies of Christ. 

And here we must stop. Time w^ould fail us to 
advance farther in considering the peculiar and af- 
fecting circumstances attending the coming of Christ 
to open the way of life for guilty sinners. 

We now pass on to treat of the second fact in the 
apostle's saying, viz. : That Christ Jesus came into 
the world to save sinners. This fact argues, 

I. That mankind are sinners. — Notwithstanding 
this fact is most clearly taught in the Scriptures, and 
corroborated by human conduct, there ^re many per- 
sons, and some public teachers, who would fain be- 
lieve the contrary sentiment. Or if, by chance, some 
of them acknowledge the truth, they carefully screen 



84 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. » 

themselves, under the pretence that they are not con- 
scious of having done anything but to obey the na- 
tural desires of the animal system, which they some- 
how conceive is indispensably necessary, and that, 
therefore, God does not regard them in the light of 
sinners. They totally reject the idea of human de- 
pravity — that the human soul and body are sinful. 
But Jesus Christ the Savior regarded men such sin- 
ners; and more, He viewed the whole human family 
as natural and practical sinners. And all who regard 
themselves in any other light must exempt themselves 
from among that class for whom Christ came and 
died. This saying argues, 

2. That, as sinners, men are exposed to eternal and 
irrecoverable ruin. — If the sinner were in any way 
competent to save himself, this saying, with all its 
parallel ones, would be a complication of unparalleled 
absurdities, unmeaning and false in the extreme. But 
the very fact that Christ has taken so much pains to 
save men, unequivocally affirms the utter helplessness 
of the sinner, and his positive exposure to the aveng- 
ing wrath of God. It argues that there is a state of 
certain punishment. For there must be that from 
which men might be saved, or there could be no sal- 
vation, no Savior. This saying argues, 

3. That Christ came to save sinners according to 
a plan consistent with the infinite mind of God. — The 
saying reads thus, " Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners." It is plainly evident, that there is 
nothing here to encourage the impenitent sinner to 
believe that, because Christ came to save him, he 
shall be saved, let him pursue what course he will ; 
for all can see that the mere coming to accomplish 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 85 

an object is not the doing of it. The minister of 
Christ might come into a place of Divine worship to 
preach, — i.e., for the purpose of preaching, and if no 
one came to hear him, he might retm'n home with- 
out accomplishing the object for which he went to 
the sanctuary of the Lord. Again, he might come for 
the same purpose, and find but few there to enjoy the 
object of his coming, while the great mass, who were 
inattentive to his ministry, would deprive themselves of 
whaL he came to bestow. The whole Gospel repre- 
sentation of the design of Christ's coming is in per- 
fect keeping with this illustration of the apostle's 
saying. The case of the feast prepared on the occa- 
sion of the marriage of the King's son, is designed by 
our Lord to illustrate truly and forcibly the object of 
Christ's coming, and the result of it. The feast was 
amply prepared — guests were invited, but they re- 
fused to enjoy the feast — others were invited, and 
they accepted and realized the benefit of the provi- 
sion, and they only enjoyed it. 

The great supper of the Lamb, the Son of the 
King of kings, has been prepared by the coming of 
Christ, and now men are invited ; but though the 
object of spreading it before the needy is to satisfy — 
to save them, yet as the preparation of it is not the 
reception of it, they only who come to Christ in his 
appointed way can realize the benefits of his atone- 
ment — of his coming to save sinners. This w^ay is 
repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ. This saying argues, 4. That Christ ivill 
surely save the humble soul that seeks his mercy and 
trusts in him for salvation. There is, upon the very 

face of this saying, sufficient encouragement to lead 
8 



86 THE VALUE OF THi2 SOVU 

any soul to venture upon Christ with humble confi- 
dence in his readiness to save, even to the uttermost. 
The language of the saying is both definite and indis- 
criminate. It is definite in that it clearly and parti- 
cularly refers to the salvation of sinnei^s. And it is 
indiscriminate in that it speaks of the salvation of 
sinners without specifying any particular class of 
transgressors. And the apostle adds, for the encour- 
agement of the most atrocious sinner who comes to 
Christ, that, as the Chief of sinners, he was saved. 
So that none need despair of Divine clemency if they 
will only apply for it. It must be heart-cheering to 
the disconsolate inquirer after salvation to know that, 
of all the variety of cases presented in the gospel, 
not one soul failed to receive the favor of Christ 
when sought in sincerity and faith. It is true, in one 
or two instances, he delayed bestowing the blessing 
desired, but that was done more for the purpose of 
trying the faith of the inquirer, than with the inten- 
tion to withhold altogether the object. And so it 
may be now. The truly penitent may pray, and try 
to believe, and use every means in his power, which 
God requires, for weeks and months, and yet not re- 
ceive the clear evidence of his acceptance with the 
Savior ; still that is no evidence against him. For 
doubtless God sees that, for reasons best known to 
himself, it is finally far better for some to receive the 
evidence of their conversion, gradually, or after long 
experience of darkness, than to be ushered suddenly 
into the light of new-born souls. The truly penitent 
sinner may take it for granted, that he shall not be 
left to linger out a miserable existence. God, who 
has begun the good work, will surely carry it on to 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 87 

perfection. He commences no work without finish- 
ing it. When he began to create the world he com- 
pleted every part of it, so that he could pronounce it 
all good — perfect — -and when he undertook to redeem 
sinners by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son, He 
overruled every dispensation of his providence, and 
every evil device of his enemies, to accomplish the 
important undertaking. And shall He fail to save 
you, O fellow-sinner, on whom He has already be- 
stowed so much labor as to provide a ransom for 
your soul, and whom He has been so long convincing 
of sin ? Be assured then, dear sinner, that however 
gloomy your case may appear to you now, if you 
earnestly seek the Lord you will surely find him to 
the joy of your soul. Continue to look at this saying 
until you fully realize the important fact contained in 
it, that, as a penitent sinner your salvation is the very 
object of Christ's mission to our world. 

Having sufficiently treated of the two principal 
points embraced in the apostle's saying, we come 
now to consider 

II. The character of this saying. It is faith- 
ful. — By this saying being faithful we understand the 
apostle to affirm, that it is a well-established fact or 
truth that Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners. 

It is evident that this saying is true, 

1. Because God has affirmed it. The Scriptures, 
in a variety of forms, declares the faithfulness of 
God. And Jesus Christ is called " the true God and 
eternal life.'' It is by his Spirit that the apostle re- 
ceived a revelation of the facts which he communis 
cates to the Christian Church. This saying, then, 
having originated in the mind that was ''/«///," not 



88 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

OYily " of grace/' but also " of truth,'' must contain 
an indisputable fact. It is not the result of the vain 
imagination of a diseased head, or the false senti- 
ment of a corrupt heart. God is true altogether. He 
neither thinks, says, nor does anything but what may 
be relied on by the most incredulous. There is no 
case of the awakened sinner so alarming but what 
he may securely trust in the truth of this saying. 
There is plainly stamped upon it the indelible testi- 
mony of the Holy Spirit. God cannot lie. For he 
not only hates all liars and threatens to punish them 
with his eternal wrath ; but he regards with special 
approbation all who speak the truth from the heart. 

This saying is plainly true, 

2. Because it perfectly harmonizes with the whole 
tenor of Scripture facts on this subject. From the 
first promise of the coming of Christ, dowm to the 
close of Divine revelation, the lost race of Adam have 
been invited to look unto him, in whom alone we can 
obtain redemption. The language of Christ in the 
Old Testament Scriptures is, " Look unto me and be 
ye saved all the ends of the earth : for I am God, 
and there is none else.'^ 

The New Testament, however, is the fullest and 
clearest on this point, as the Christian dispensation 
enjoys the latter-daj^ glory. The coming of Christ 
having been accomplished, we might reasonably ex- 
pect more complete intelligence respecting the Savior 
than would be communicated under a dispensation of 
types and shadows, as was the Old Testament eco- 
nomy. Hence, when Christ was upon the earth, he 
said to the anxious inquirer after holiness and happi- 
ness, " Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. «9 

laden, and I will give you rest/' &c., &c. And the 
apostle John aflirms of him, ''As inany as received 
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of 
God, even to them that believe on his name." At 
one time our Savior affirms, " I came not to call the 
righteous hut sinners to repentance.'' And again he 
says, " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye 
shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 
For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that 
seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that 
is a father will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish, 
will he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask 
an egg, will he offer him a scorpion ? If ye then, being 
evil, know how {i.e. disposed) to give good gifts unto 
your children, how much more shall your heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.'' 
The import of this instruction is, that no civilized 
parent, though a sinner, whether penitent or impeni- 
tent, will so far depart from the spirit of humanity, 
as to aggravate his hungry child that asketh food, by 
giving him a stone, or, what is worse, give him a 
serpent or scorpion, that would not only not satisfy 
its hunger, but would injure him if it did not destroy 
his life. Therefore, dear sinner, take it for granted, 
that, as your heavenly Father is far superior to you 
in consistent benevolence, he is more ready to give 
you salvation, the work of the Holy Spirit, if you ask 
him, than you are to satisfy the wants of your child- 
ren when they apply to you for food. \^ 

What more need be said in evidence of the truth 
or faithfulness of the saying, that Christ Jesus came 

into the world to save sinners ? It is merely necessary 

8* 



90 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

to cite the penticostal season when several thousand 
of just such penitent sinners as you are, and as the 
saying embraces, were converted to God — saved by 
Christ. And they, too, were converted in the short 
space of a few hours from the time that they heard 
the Gospel. They were saved through faith in the 
willingness and abihty of Christ to save them. And 
you may be saved by Christ by believing the same 
now. For God, by the apostle, says : *' Behold, now is 
the accepted time ; hehold now is the day of salva- 
tion:' 

We now come to consider, — 

III. The extent of the claim of this faithful 
SAYING. It is worthy of universal reception. 

A saying so full of import and interest is alike 
worthy the attention of all classes and ages of the 
human family. It is perfectly adapted to the pressing 
wants and infirmities of the aged. It is well calcu- 
lated to direct the vigorous mind of the young. It is 
designed to increase the wealth of the rich, and is 
not beneath his dignity, it having been uttered by Him 
who claims the whole universe as his property. It 
condescends to raise the poor and despised to an heir- 
ship of heaven, and a joint heir-ship with Jesus 
Christ. It is a suitable subject for the wisest, the 
most learned to investigate — for surely what the eter- 
nal, infinite mind of God regards important enough 
to be recorded, far more, to be perpetuated age after 
age, cannot be too mean for the most gigantic minds 
of his earthly intelligences. It is so simple, so easily 
understood, that the ignorant may be instructed by it 
in the way to eternal life. It is susceptible of the 
keenest scrutiny of the bitterest foe, the most subtle 



CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 91 

infidel, and is competent to force its way to the most 
abandoned sinner's heart. It is ever new, so that it 
is suited to every age of the world. It has no respect 
to persons, sex, or color, so that none can plead ex- 
cuse from its demands. It is as faithful to the heath- 
en — the savage, as to the civilized — the Christian. It 
claims as much respect from the living and the healthy, 
as from the diseased and dying, so that while it is the 
afflicted man's companion and monitor and comforter, 
it makes most urgent and reasonable appeals to those 
who enjoy this life in their full strength and glory. 

This saying is worthy to be received by all men, 
intellectually, practically, and exj)erhnentally, 

1. Intellectually. The inspired apostle Paul as- 
sures us that, " Without faith it is impossible to please 
God ;" and then adds, " for he that cometh to God 
must believe that he is, and that he is a re warder of 
them that diligently seek him." And again he says, 
" Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word 
of God." Thus we know the necessity of having 
faith in God, and also in what particulars we are to 
believe. The faith of hearing is the intellectual as- 
sent to a truth which we hear or read. But, however 
necessary this kind of faith is, if it be alone — i. e., 
without a corresponding action, it is dead, and hence, 
as such, it is of but little value. So that a man may 
perfectly understand the import of the apostle's say- 
ing, and he may even give his assent to the whole 
truth embraced in it, and yet be destitute of the en- 
joyment which it is designed to communicate. 

2. We now come to consider the pi^actical recep- 
tion of this saying. Our Lord, in the close of his 
Sermon on the Mount, most clearly illustrates this 



92 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

point. It reads thus : '* Therefore, whosoever heareth 
these sayings of mine, and doeth them. I will liken him 
unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock ; 
and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
wind blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not ; 
for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that 
heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, 
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his 
house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and 
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon 
that house, and it fell ; and great was the fall of it,'' 
Christ thus shows, that his sayings, however pungent 
and true, could take no effect in the heart of that 
man, who merely receives the truth intellectually. 
And the apostle James illustrates the same fact as 
follows : " Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers 
only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a 
hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a 
man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he 
beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway 
forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso 
looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth 
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer., hut a doer oj 
the work, this man shall he hlessed in his deed.'' Thus 
we have the concurrent testimony of Christ and an 
inspired apostle, to confirm the fact that man must 
connect consistent practice with an intelligent view 
of truth and duty. The man who is a doer of the 
saying, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
sinners, is he that applies to this Savior for full proof 
of this fact in securing his own salvation. 

3. This saying is not only to be received intellect- 
ually and practically, but also experimentally — i. e., the 






CHRIST THE ONLY SAVIOR. 93 

sinner is to experience for himself, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save him. This is the most 
profitable disposal which the sincere inquirer can pos- 
sibly make of this saying. And this he can enjoy by 
applying to the Holy Spirit which sanctifies the heart, 
and qualifies the renewed soul properly to appreciate 
his Savior and his Divine mission to our world, and 
this saying, which announces the object of his coming. 

When our Lord declared to Nicodemus, " Ye must 
be born again," he did it in view of the fact, that he 
had come into the world to render it possible to be 
attained. Even so is it now. He that has informed 
the sinner that there is salvation, amply provided for 
all who repent and believe, and has also furnished the 
means to be employed in receiving it ; has, by every 
motive of the Gospel, required the sinner to accept of 
that salvation, by happy experience, which, if enjoyed, 
will furnish the humble soul that evidence of his sins 
beino; foro:iven, as to assure him of an interest in the 
eternal weio:ht of Hory which shall be revealed at the 
last day, unto all who have received his sayings or 
truths practically and experimentally. 

The salvation spoken of in the text, comprises all 
that the regenerated soul is capable of receiving and 
enjoying in time and in eternity. And regeneration, 
or the new birth of the soul, which is the foundation 
of all the salvation that the converted sinner expe- 
riences, is that mysterious work of purification wrought 
in the human heart, by the Holy Spirit, which no one 
can realize but he who receives it. \ 

Dear sinner, are you now ready to receive his say- 
ing, so full of interest for your eternal welfare ? Will 
you accept it in the manner which has been presented ? 



94 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Or do you still hesitate fearing to venture upon such 
a Savior as Christ Jesus is, who holds so great en- 
couragement for you ? Or is your heart so hard that 
you cannot be moved to view its plague as the ruin 
to which you are exposed, while you refuse to receive 
this saying in all its force ? May the Lord now lead 
you fully to realize your need of a Savior, that you 
may be induced to apply to him in good earnest, for 
pardon of all your many aggravated sins, that you 
may enjoy his salvation in all its fulness and glory — 
so that, when he comes to judge the nations of the 
earth, you shall escape his wrath, and be accounted 
one of his most precious jewels. For O, dear sinner ! 
should his wrath be kindled against you, it would sink 
your guilty soul to the lowest hell. And why? Be- 
cause he now stands as a ready Savior, a sure advo- 
cate in the court of heaven, to save you. But should 
you refuse him — or neglect his sayings — his invita- 
tions, O what lamentations, what regret must follow 
your lost soul eternally, while you shall be obliged to 
look upon him whom you pierced by your sins, and 
deadly wounded by refusing to receive him as your 
Savior ! 



LECTURE VII. 

SUBJECT : THE EFFICIENCY, UNDER GOD, OF HUMAN 
INSTRUxMENTALITY. 

James 5 : 20. '' Let liim know that he which conyerteth the sin- 
ner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and 
hide a multitude of sins." 

These words of the inspired apostle are very strik- 
ing, and full of import. They teach us the import- 
ance of the sinner's conversion to God, which hes in 
the saving a soul from death, and in hiding a multi- 
tude of sins — 2. e., the penitent sinner's crimes are 
blotted out, they are hid from his view — so that he 
cannot see them to his condemnation ; and besides, by 
his conversion, he is prevented from committing for 
the future a multitude of sins. This text also shows 
us our responsibility, as Christians, in the salvation of 
sinners. It assumes the fact that God has morally 
quahfied each of his subjects of grace, to labor in his 
strength to secure the conversion of sinners from error 
and ruin. And the encouragement is held out, with 
the strongest possible motive, to invite to Christianity. 
" Let him know or be assured, that, if he succeed in 
winning a soul to Christ, he shall be the means of ac- 
complishing a work which could not be secured by 
the sacrificing of the whole world.'*' O what an en- 
terprise is that to be engaged in, which saves immor- 
tal beings from eternal despair ! It is generally re- 
garded a noble calling to be a successful physician, in 



yb THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

saving human life, in arresting disease, and continuing 
mortal existence a little longer. But vv^hat is that,- 
w^hen compared with being the means of arresting 
the disease of everlasting death, and of qualifying the 
soul to enjoy the blessings of eternal felicity at God's 
right hand ? In this lecture, we design to make seve- 
ral affectionate appeals, which we trust will be kindly 
and profitably received. 

And, 1. To Ministers of the Gospel. Beloved 
brethren : Allow one in common labor with you to ad- 
monish you to continue that ministerial faithfulness, 
which is so essential and so efficient in winning immor- 
tal souls to Christ. If the souls of men are of immense 
value, as we have labored to prove — and as you believe 
— and if they are liable every day to plunge into eter- 
nal despair without the renewing grace of God; and if 
Jesus Christ, who has cSmmitted to us the ministry of 
reconciliation, has given himself for them, and is ever 
ready to save them that believe on him, and to aid us 
in our important work — and if the impenitent are so 
depraved as easily to follow after the pernicious in- 
fluences of their own hearts, of other wicked men 
and of devils, how important that we give them line 
upon line, precept upon precept — ^be instant in season 
and out of season — labor constantly, perseveringly, 
and variously, in order to save them. We should 
preach often, and energetically — pray fervently for 
them — watch over their conduct, their company, their 
religious views ; and, as the case may require, faith- 
fully admonish them, individually as well as collec- 
tively. Our business is to save souls. All we say 
and do, should be with this object in view. Let us 
beware of that emulation, that unholy ambition which 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 97 

too often linger about us in our efforts to win souls. 
Party spirit, and desire to excel and to rule, have 
crushed some of the brightest ornaments that ever 
shone in the christian ministry, and rendered their 
mightiest efforts ineffectual. Let us lahor for souls 
as those who shall soon be called to give up our steward- 
shijD, and render a. strict account to God, of the talents 
given us for improvement in his service. Let us en- 
ter the sacred desk with the thought that this may be 
my last sermon, and how can I answer to God my 
employer, if I aim not to save souls to-day through 
it ? And so of every effort we make for the same 
object. Souls ! souls ! undying souls ! Souls liable 
to dwell in eternal misery ! should be uppermost in 
our minds — in all our preparations for the pulpit — in 
all our lectures — in all our praying circles — in all our 
visits — in all our transactions with men. If we en- 
tertain such feelings, v/e shall glorify God in our minis- 
try. For said Christ to his disciples : " Herein is my 
Father glorified that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye 
be my disciples." We are to manifest our calling to 
be of Christ, by glorifying God in the salvation of 
souls. But, above all, let us labor to save our own 
souls, for they are as valuable to us as the souls of the 
congregation are to them. The chief of the apostles 
felt the necessity of keeping his own soul, while he 
labored to save others, lest, in his assiduous attention 
to benefit them, he should neglect himself, so as to be- 
come a castaway. And surely we are in no less 
danger than he was — indeed, in this popular age of 
the Church and of the world, we require more vigi- 
lance, more care, more watchfulness, more jealousy 
over our hearts, lest some root of bitterness spring up 



98 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

and trouble us, and cause us to reproach our glorious 
Head. 

2. To Parents. — The relation of parents and child- 
ren is the nearest and strongest that engages the atten- 
tion and sympathy of man. What will a parent not 
do to save her offspring from a devourer ? She places 
the most implicit confidence in the veracity of her own 
child, even in the face of opposing circumstances. She 
will defend it against the fiercest assaults, or the most 
confirmed accusations. The parents' love for their 
children is ardent — they feel a deep interest for their 
welfare, not only in childhood, but as they advance 
in life. Great care is taken to educate them so as 
to enable them to appear respectable and intelligent 
in society, and to conduct the business of this life. 
No pains are spared to select a suitable occupation 
for them, by which they may secure a livelihood. 
Everything within their power is done to meet pre- 
sent demands. If the least indication of approaching 
disease or death appears, medical assistance is imme- 
diately procured — remedy is directly applied to heal 
a wound — to ease a pain, or to remove afHiction of 
whatever nature or degree. All this is done for the 
poor, decaying, perishing body, while, by too many, 
the undying soul, diseased unto eternal pain, is cared 
for but very little. Year after year pass away with- 
out any attention being paid to the miserable soul, 
the most important part of the whole being. This is 
not, however, the case with all parents, but it is with 
the great mass of them. 

Dear parents, if the souls of your children are as 
valuable as even the limits of this part of the treatise 
shows, then indeed God has committed to vour care 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 99 

a treasure of great worth. He has sent those immor- 
tal beings into your respective family circle to be 
trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
You should feel the awful weight of your responsibi- 
lity growing out of your relation to your offspring. 
It is not enough that you educate and provide for 
them, so as to render them respectable in general 
society. Your main business is to be instrumental in 
qualifying them to exert a moral and religious influ- 
ence in this world, and for a seat at God's right hand 
in the world to come. It has become a universal 
custom to send children to the Sabbath school to be 
religiously instructed. This is right ; and every pa- 
rent should feel morally bound to thus patronise this 
noble enterprise. But, it is to be feared, that, with 
many professedly jozoz^5 parents, the duty of religious 
training stops here. This is wrong. They only in 
part answer their responsibility to God and to their 
children, when they commit the whole work of pious 
instruction to others. And besides, they who do so, 
lose a great share of moral influence, which, as pa- 
rents, they ought to exert over their own children. 
Indeed, those children that receive religious training 
at home, are generally far more respectful to parents 
and to one another than those that are neglected at 
home. 

If you would have your children mighty in the 
►Scriptures, teach them the truths of the Bible. You, 
who are acquainted with the moral law of God (and 
who cannot be with the Bible in his possession ?) are 
commanded to teach it diligently unto \y our children. 
Hear the voice of God on this matter from the mouth 
of his inspired servant Moses. Deut. 6 : 6, 7 — " And 



100 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

these words which I command thee this day, shall be 
in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently 
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou 
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the 
way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
risest up/' (See the contexts.) Thus we learn that 
it is the duty of parents, first to impress the law of 
God upon their own hearts, and theii to teach that 
law diligently to their family at all times — when in 
the house — when walking abroad — when about to 
retire to rest — when we have risen up, and always. 
For want of strict attention to this part of duty, many 
a pious parent mourns over the dissipation of heaven- 
daring children. God, by his inspired penman, uttered 
a truth when he said, " Train up a child in the way 
he should go, and when he is old he will not depart 
from it." There is no child, however naturally averse 
to piety he may be, but that, if taught repeatedly the 
moral law, will become so impressed with the Divine 
claims, as to fear to offend Him who thunders in the 
heavens and holds the eternal destinies of men at His 
own all-wise disposal. 

Not only should the moral law be taught in the 
family, but the whole Bible, embracing its history, 
biography, the dealings of God with men of both cha- 
racters, threatenings, promises, doctrines, precepts, 
and especially about Christ — who he is, prophecies of 
his coming, their fulfilment, circumstances of his mis- 
sion, his death, resurrection, ascension, his mediation, 
his position as final Judge, as the joy of his saints in 
heaven, and as the occasion of the misery of the lost in 
hell — i. e., "they shall look on him whom they pierced, 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 101 

and wail because of him/' If he was out of their sight 
they might be comparatively happy, &c. 

Teach Xheui j)^^<^cii<:al jjiety. Explain to them the 
nature and consequences of sin, also of holiness, and 
its results in this life and the life to come. Cause 
them to feel their accountability to God, their own 
sinfulness, their guilt. Affect their hearts as well as 
enlighten their understandings ; don't leave them with- 
out a deep impression of the necessity of their repent- 
ance and salvation. Lead them to realize that God 
knows their thoughts, motives, words, and secret, as 
well as public acts. Converse frequently w^ith them 
of the love of God, as manifest in creation and pre- 
servation of all things, especially of mankind, in re- 
demption, in final salvation, in the means of grace 
adapted to their wants, and suitable for the accom- 
plishment of the end. Cause them to set a high value 
on the institutions of the Gospel, the moral and reli- 
gious enterprises which are to evangelize the world, 
such as the societies in operation for the spreading of 
Bibles, religious books and tracts, missions foreign 
and home. Sabbath schools, and every other good 
cause in which the rising generation should become 
deeply interested. Let them occasionally accompany 
you to the public meetings held for the promotion of 
each of those institutions. Take them frequently to 
the various religious meetings connected with your 
respective church — not only on the Sabbath, but 
during the week — cause them to notice the various 
events of Divine providence respecting themselves 
and others. Teach them their duty and obligations 
to their parents, to teachers, to one another, to ser- 
vants, and to all other persons, to be obedient, respect- 



102 THE VALUE OP THE SOUL. 

ful, kind, benevolent, sympathizing. Impress their 
minds with the love of God in these particulars, espe- 
cially of obedience and sympathy. Occasionally take 
them to the abodes of the poor and afflicted, and re- 
late to them what you know of suffering humanity 
elsewhere, and draw the contrast with their circum- 
stances. Thus lead them to be grateful to God and be- 
nevolent to the distressed, and be sure to furnish them 
the means to do what their tender sympathies and 
your judgment suggest for the cause of Christ and for 
the afflicted. Should they at any time offend you, 
lead them to repentance towards God, who they should 
know is also offended. 

Your example before your children should be such 
as to lead them to practice true virtue. Therefore 
avoid passionate expressions, manners, looks. Neither 
say nor do anything that would counteract the moral 
influence you would exert by your religious instruc- 
tion. Remember the souls of your children are at 
stake. 

Besides your pious example, so essential to impress 
their minds favorably of the Christian religion, don't 
forget to remember the case of each one especially 
before God in your secret devotions. He promises 
happy results from the faithful, fervent prayers of the 
righteous. Answers to your prayers, if not realized 
to you while you live, may, long after your praying 
breath has ceased, be poured down upon your immor- 
tal offspring to the joy and salvation of their souls. 
They should often, especially while very young, be 
prayed with as well as for. Take them into secret 
with you, where thej^ may witness your humble and 
earnest devotions for them, and they loill never forget 



HUMAN lNSTRUMENTALITi^ 103 

it. Pardon the writer if he says he knows it by happy 
experience. They should be taught how to pray — z. e., 
how to make prayers suitable to their necessities. 
This you may do by convincing them of their sins — 
cause them to recall, every evening, the sins they 
have committed during the day — and in the morning 
lead them to praise God for his merciful preservation 
through the night, and to pray for his guidance, pro- 
tection, and blessings through the day. Relate to 
them the interest Christ their Savior takes in child- 
ren who com.e to him ; repeat his promises to hear 
prayer and to save all who call upon him in sincerity 
and faith. This should all be done in view of the 
worth of their undying souls, which, no parent is 
willing they should lose. Further, if you value the 
souls of your children, direct their course of conduct. 
Regulate the expense and style of their dress, as pa- 
rents who are accountable to God for the cherishing 
of the pride and extravagance of your children. But 
few parents realize how much they contribute to- 
wards the eternal ruin of the souls of their offspring 
by indulging them to carry out that haughtiness and 
thirst for external appearances which tend to licen- 
tiousness, want, crime, and final misery. The parent 
is responsible for the child's conduct in this particu- 
lar, so long as it is under parental authority. You 
should also choose their corrfpanxj. See to it, oh parents, 
that your children associate not with those whose 
morals or principles are not known by you, or are so 
depraved as not to ensure you good influence for your 
children. Superintend in some measure their amuse- 
ments. Be sparing in giving them parties of pleasure, 
as the amusements and parties they enjoy are calcu- 



104 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

lated to divert their minds from the one thing need- 
ful, and cause them to satisfy the anxieties of an 
awakened conscience in the pursuit of those plea- 
sures which only aggravate the case. To say the 
least of them, they do not at all promote the salvation 
of the soul. 

Teach them to be industrious. Indolence has 
come to be as prevalent among the youth of this 
generation, as industry was characteristic of former 
ages. And, as a natural consequence, immorality 
and infidelity ensue. Dear parents, if you would 
save your children's souls, if you would have them 
virtuous .and happy, don't suffer them to grow up in 
idleness. Affluence, or ill-health, or fashion, form no 
excuse for indulgence in doing nothing. If you value 
the soul of your offspring, cause them to be industri- 
ous, in at least securing the one thing needful — in 
saving their souls from the wrath of the Lamb, and 
in doing good to others. "Don't neglect to bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

3. To Sabbath School Teachers. My dear fellow- 
laborers in the cause of Christ, permit one who, 
having once occupied your position, knows how to 
sympathize with you, to address you respecting the 
weighty responsibility you have assumed. You 
doubtless feel that it is not a small matter to be a 
faithful Sabbath School Teacher, to whom is com- 
mitted the training of youthful minds for future use- 
fulness and happiness on earth, and for eternal glory 
in Heaven. God, in his all-wise providence, has called 
you to this work. To him, as supreme, you are res- 
ponsible for the manner in which you discharge your 
duty. While engaged in your pious efforts to save 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTAT.ITY. 105 

your scholars, feel that what you do must be done with 
your might, judiciously, and with reference to the 
glory of God. Adopt the feelings of Christ when he 
said, '' I must work the works of Him that sent me 
while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can 
work/"' Realize that soon it will be said to you, 
" Give account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be 
no longer steward/' The parents of the children 
under your charge have submitted to you the work 
of instilhng right sentiments into the minds of those 
children, and of so directing their conduct, and affect- 
ing their hearts, as to lead them to Christ, their rock 
of eternal safety. In view of these facts, you are no 
doubt often led to inquire, *'Who is sufficient for 
these things ?" Your only strength, then, is in Christ. 
For while he says ''without me ye can do nothing,'' 
Paul affirms, and so you may feel, " I can do all 
things through Christ who strengtheneth me.*' You 
need scarcely be reminded that your labor of love is 
not confined to the Sabbath nor in the presence of 
your immortal charge ; for besides a godly walk and 
upright conversation before them, you should feel 
under peculiar obligation to remember each one, as 
his or her case requires, at .the throne of heavenly 
grace, imploring the mercy of God in their behalf. 
Dont think of anything short of their salvation in 
Christ, Religious instruction is good and indispens- 
able for them. But let it be of such a character as to 
impress their hearts. Aim at the conversion of the 
soul of each scholar ; for without this, all your efforts 
will be discouraging to you, and of little avail to 
them. O ! consider the infinite value of one soul 
committed to you. If only one such soul is lost, no- 



106 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

thing can redeem it ! And feel, that on you greatly 
depends its salvation. It is given to you that you 
may be the means of saving it. And who can con- 
ceive the glory that awaits the faithful teacher, who, 
by his pious and persevering labors is instrumental in 
saving one soul from hell and into heaven ? And 
how much more blessed shall he be that turns rnany 
to righteousness. Dear teachers, let it be deeply 
impressed upon your minds that every soul committed 
to you is a precious jewel that must be saved. Don't 
be satisfied until your whole respective class is truly 
converted to God. Employ every means within your 
power for this end. And be sure that while you 
diligently do your part, you seek the superior power 
of the Holy Spirit, who alone can ^convert the soul. 
Much that is said in the address to parents will apply 
to you, especially respecting religious instruction and 
its object. 

4. To all instructors of youth. My dear friends, 
being somewhat acquainted with the peculiar circum- 
stances connected with your profession, I cheerfully 
sympathize with you. I am aware that your labors 
are not duly appreciated by all your employers. 
The purity of your motives, and the manner of your 
government, are occasionally unkindly met and mis- 
represented. And now and then one may be found 
who will severely rebuke you for promoting the cor- 
rect sentiments and practices of your scholars. But 
notwithstanding all this, your obligations to God, and, 
under him, to those committed to you for scientific 
training, are as binding as though all were favorable to 
your proceedings. You should feel, and try to impress 
the parents with the fact, that, when a child enters 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 107 

your school, he is wholly subject to your influence 
while under your care ; and that you are morally 
bound to teach them to fear God, respect man, and 
save their souls, as well as to secure a scientific edu- 
cation. Your business should be to educate them to 
become pious and morally useful citizens, as well as 
to be intelhgent statesmen, merchants, mechanics, 
farmers, &c. 

Your students have parents of different characters, 
principles, and influence, and hence it is highly im- 
portant that you take special care of their souls. For 
what they fail to receive at home you may afford 
them at school. And that, too, in the short space of 
half an hour's time each day, which might result in a 
long eternity of glory to them and to you, and perhaps 
to their parents. Your ability and influence in a 
community have an inconceivable amount of power 
for good or for evil. Both the parents and the child- 
ren look up to you for such consistent deportment, in 
whatever circle you move, as shall be worthy of 
imitation. And the great mass of your employers 
anticipate that you are morally competent to mould 
the mind for heaven as well as for earth. And if 
you are deficient in this, O, think of the value of your 
own soul ! and how much real profit you are loosing ! 
and, consider the weight of responsibility which you 
have, and yet are not able to answer it ! Think, that 
whereas you might be the means of eternally saving 
your scholars, and perhaps their parents, as you now 
are, your influence tends directly to the contrary re- 
sult. And, taking it for granted that the old adage 
is a true one — '' A word to the wise is sufficient"— 
you will receive this friendly admonition with that 



108 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

spirit and profit which true wisdom would dictate to 
persons of the intelligence which usually characterize 
those occupj^ing your position in the literary world. 

When we consider the shortness and uncertainty 
of human life, and the various casualties incident to 
our earthly career, by which the mind is liable to be 
arrested in its scientific pursuits, we cannot but feel 
that too much attention is paid to the cultivation of 
the arts and sciences, to the total neglect of enriching 
the souls of our youth with the knowledge of the 
truth — the heavenly graces of the Holy Spirit. Scien- 
tific pursuits are good, and ought to be cherished in 
the youthful mind, but not to the omission of the 
weightier matters of the imperishable soul. 

5. To Superintendents, Matrons, and others, 
who have the oversight of immortal souls, that are 
left alone, without any others to care for their souls, 
having not the fond attention and pious education of 
interested parents. Above all others, such children 
have a special claim to the attention and guidance of 
their guardians. If left to pursue their own way, they 
will be more liable to fall an easy prey to the destroyer, 
the infidel, and the licentious, than any other class 
of children. They are more apt to suspect them- 
selves neglected, whether they are or not, and hence 
their case requires more sympathy, lest they become 
desperate and run greedily into ruin. They are gene- 
rally poor and dependent, hence they are inclined to 
regard themselves subjects of oppression and imposi- 
tion. But a religious training will lay the foundation 
for gratitude and love, and respect for their benefac- 
tors, and qualify them for good and useful citizens ; 
and, under the Holy Spirit's influence, it will fit them 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 109 

for the nobler and more glorious employment and joys 
of heaven. The labor to be bestowed upon many of 
such children is unquestionably greater than if they 
had received proper training, before necessity placed 
them under your c^re ; but the result will be more 
evident to you, if faithful to them, than would appear 
in others of a different character. Seek to save their 
souls, and not merely to make them realize your 
authority, and respect you, and you will secure the 
whole. For they that fear God, honor and respect 
those to whom He, in his providence, has given author- 
ity to govern. But, aside from the personal advan- 
tage you would derive from the discharge of your 
duty towards them, you should deeply weigh the im- 
portant responsibility resting upon you, in view of 
the many immortal subjects of God's general kingdom, 
which he has selected for you to their moral improve- 
ment. Feel that you are promoting the best interests 
of God's government, by causing the young to become 
the early recipients of his favor, and the sincere lovers 
of his divine royalty, and the faithful and willing sub- 
jects of his kingdom. In a word, the hints which 
have been given to parents and teachers will apply 
to you with equal force, for you occupy their position; 
hence your responsibility is the same, and if faithful, 
"Verily you shall not lose your reward.'' 

6. To Christians in general, and to Churches, Be- 
loved brethren : You are doubtless aware, that Christ 
and the early Christians manifested special regard for 
the rising generation, that were to ocqapy the places 
of their fathers. And, would you have the Church of 
Christ perpetuated and prosper ? If so, labor to save 
the youth in vour respective communities. Have spe- 
10 



110 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

cial reference to their souls in all your eftbrts to do 
good. Counteract the immoral influence of infidelity 
of every grade, and crime of every species, v^hich are 
engendered through vain and irreligious publications, 
lectures, combinations, &:c. Furnish them a good 
supply of different religious books, tracts, papers, &c., 
so as to pre-occupy the mind with divine truth, which 
will have a tendency not only to present a barrier 
against vice and infidelity, but will also, under the di- 
vine sanction, lead them to Christ and to the Church. - 
Besides this, perpetuate Sabbath schools in your seve- 
ral districts, where it is not convenient for the children 
to meet in one place. It is very common, in the 
country especially, to discontinue the Sabbath schools 
during the winter, because of the inclemency of the 
season, the shortness of the days, &c. But it is 
wrong. Upon the same principle,, and with much 
more propriety, there should be no winter schools for 
w^eek days. But instead of that, greater calculations 
are made to have large schools during the winter and 
that too, with the majority of small children. Well, 
if such schools can be sustained five or six days in 
the week, is it not WTong to urge any excuse for sus- 
pending the Sabbath school, which occupies only one 
hour on the Lord's day, for the religious education of 
immortal souls ? No church, at the present day, can 
long exist without a Sabbath school. Go where you 
may, you will Z7if<2r2<26Zy find corrupt, dead, dwindling 
churches, when, for a few years, they have altogether 
neglected this important institution. Indeed, the youth 
themselves are too fond of the Sabbath school to 
attend church where it is not sustained. Hence, they 
will either go away several miles to church, or roam 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. Ill 

the fields, or seek forbidden company, on the Sabbaths. 
Therefore, if you would preserve the Church, and 
save the souls of the children in your vicinity, many 
of whom have wicked parents, continue the Sabbath 
school enterprise. And if at any time it seems to fail 
in interest, adopt favorable measures to make it more 
attractive and useful. Be well supplied with a variety 
of reading books for the children, by means of which 
you interest, and may save both them and their pa- 
rents. 

7. To Physicians. Respected friends : No pro- 
fession or occupation assumes so great a responsibihty 
as yours. In the all-wise providence of God, you 
have, so far as instruments are concerned, the control 
of human life, on which the immortal souls of your 
patients greatly depend for their favorable seasons, 
to secure that mercy which cannot be obtained after 
death. Being often called to visit the sick and dying, 
you have frequent opportunities to lay before them 
their spiritual condition, and refer them to the Great 
Phvsician of souls, who alone can save them when 
your remedies shall have failed. 

We are aware of your delicacy thus to deal with 
your patients. And many of your profession strongly 
remonstrate against such a course, even for others to 
pursue. But, as intelligent Christians, you are bound 
to administer to the spiritual malady of the diseased 
soul, as well as to the afflicted body, and much more 
so, for with even your best endeavors, the body must 
yield to disease and death ; but, by your, timely, faith- 
ful, persevering efforts, you have far greater encour- 
agement of succeeding to win the undying soul to 
Christ. And, O, think of the value of one such soul, 



112 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

and consider, that the patient places the utmost confi- 
dence in your skill, and in your opinion as to his re- 
covery; and that if, through fear or prejudice, you 
do not apprise him of his near approach to the eternal 
world, you may virtually suffer him to go dow^n to 
eternal despair unheeded, or unconscious of his real 
condition, as to his disease and speedy dissolution. A 
word from the attending physician would often be 
more favorably received by the patient, and have a 
deeper impression upon his mind, than labored efforts 
from almost any other source. Then do not refuse 
this friendly advice ; and if you must neglect any 
part of your duty, do not omit that which relates to 
the miserable souls of your patients. 

7. To Christian Seamen and Soldiers. — Dear breth- 
ren, your condition is such as to call for the kindest 
sympathies and most earnest solicitude of a Christian 
heart. You are ever in danger both temporarily and 
spiritually. You are always more or less surrounded 
with enemies to your present or future life. You are 
obliged to live continually in a state of warfare with 
infuriated men or opposing elements. You are de- 
prived of many of the enjoyments which others rea- 
hze. You are often denied the religious privileges 
which are lavished upon those who appreciate them 
less. But, notwithstanding all this, you have a large 
share of influence which others, more highly favored, 
do not possess. In the all-wise providence of God, 
you are called to visit various sections of our world, 
and to mingle with all classes of men. Hence, you 
have frequent and favorc'ible opportunities to spread 
the knowledge of Divine truth, by which you may be 
the means of counteracting infidelity and vice in all 



HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. 113 

their forms, and be instrumental in the conversion 
of sinners to God. Unfortunately for you, you are 
generally obliged to associate with men of debased 
passions and habitual profanity. Your righteous 
souls are often vexed and grieved at their wickedness 
in the things of eternity. But, on this very account, 
you are loudly called, not only to show forth the 
image of Christ in your whole demeanor, but also, 
kindly and faithfully, to instruct, reprove, and rebuke 
them with all long-suffering and patience. Have a 
special object to the salvation of their souls. Fear 
not their curses. Pay no attention to their apparent 
indifference, or hardness, or increased wickedness 
under your labors ; for rely upon it, Satan rages more 
furiously in the hearts of those whom he is about to 
lose, than he does in the more secure victims of his 
deceit. 

You may do much toward the salvation of souls, 
by pursuing the course which we have urged upon 
pious parents. And as you have to deal with men 
who are susceptible of being "reasoned with of 
righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come,'' 
and as they are often disposed to converse on these 
subjects, you should be well prepared with the sword 
of the Spirit, the word of God, and lean 7iot too much 
to your oicn understanding, r: Seek Divine aid and 
sanction to meet your foes successfully, and then you 
shall realize the truth of that saying, '•' No weapon 
formed against you shall prosper." 

When you are dealing with^subtle, Equivocating 
men, adopt the. course pursued by our Lord when he 
was contending v/ith Satan on the Mount. By read- 
ing the account of his warfare with that arch-enemv, 
10* 



114 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

in Matt., chap. 4, you will learn, that he invariably 
resisted and conquered his foe with, " Thus it is writ- 
ten," &c. 

In your labors for the conversion of sinners to God, 
you should not be confined merely to your own re- 
marks ; but, as occasion may require, supply them 
with the Bible, and other good books, tracts, &c., 
which have been instrumental in saving thousands of 
the souls who have seldom listened to a Gospel sermon. 
If you have not the means to purchase as many Bibles 
and tracts as w^ould be necessary to meet your en- 
larged desires for doing good, the American Bible 
Society and the American Tract Society will gra- 
tuitously supply your wants, and cheerfully encourage 
you in your labors of love, that " the abundance of 
the sea may be converted," and that "men may 
learn war no more." 



PART II. 

THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE. 



LECTURE I. 

THE NATURE AND SUBSTANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN'S 

HOPE. 

1 Jolin 3 : 2 — " Beloved now we are the sons of God, and it doth 
not yet appear what we shall be : but we know that, when he 
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as 
he is." 

The apostle John, who penned the above sentiment, 
was well styled the beloved disciple of Christ, for, of 
all the apostles, he is the loveliest writer and the most 
famous for recording matters respecting the love of 
God and man. And, indeed, the manner in which he 
commences his addresses to the Chmxh must lead even 
the worst foe to the Bible to admire his amiable spirit. 
He usually begins his epistles or remarks with, " My 
little children,'' '^Beloved," or "Well-beloved'' — 
phrases which indicate the deep-toned piety of his 
heart, and his ardent affection for all who bcir the 
image of Christ, whom he dearly loved and faithfully 
served, and whose true divinity and character he 
most clearly delineates, so that the weakest believer 
may perfectly understand him. 



116 THE VALUE OP THE SOUL. 

He also most beautifully illustrates the Christian's 
hope, so as almost to cause the earthly pilgrim to 
realize himself a possessor of his anticipated glory. 
The text furnishes a fair sample of his whole train of 
expressions, in unfolding to the Christian what he is, 
and what he may expect to be, when Christ shall ap- 
pear in his glory to receive him. 

In our treatment of the nature and substance of 
the Christian's hope, we deem it important to remind 
the reader that all hope is not Cliristian hope. It is 
true, hope, in its abstract sense, is a compound of de- 
sire and expectation. This may be enjoyed by the 
worldling, the licentious, the profligate, and the hypo- 
crite, or deceived professor of religion, as well as by 
the true believer in Christ. But while the hope of 
the one originates in, and has respect to, the things of 
time and sense, and is cherished by, the influence of 
the powers of darkness^ — the hope of the other — the 
Christian — is of a higher and more noble source, and 
is kept in lively exercise through the Divine power 
of the Eternal Spirit ; and its possessor can adopt the 
language of the Psalmist, and say, " And now. Lord, 
what wait I for ? my hope is in thee." And he feels 
to unite with the apostle Paul in the sentiment, '' If 
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all 
men most miserable." 

The true Christian regards his hope founded on the 
same unerring promises and mercy of God. He 
feels to enjoy the force of the inspired penman's de- 
claration of the immutability of the promises re- 
specting his hope, as recorded in Heb. 6 : 17, 18. It 
reads thus : " Wherein God, willing more abundantly 
to show unto the heirs of j)romise the immutability 



THE christian's HOPE. 117 

of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath ; that, by two 
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God 
to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have 
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.'' 
The Christian is thus assured that, by the two immut- 
able things of God — His word of promises and their 
confirmation by his oath — that his hope is securely 
established in God — in Christ. It is because of such 
exceedingly great and precious promises from God, 
that the believer in Christ can confidently hope for 
the present and the future — for time and for eternity. 
Such a hope is truly the work of th) Holy Spirit. 
For He is the sanctifier of all the heirs of promise. 
And it is He who revives and invigorates this lively 
hope in the souls of his saints. 

In the enjoyment of this hope all boasting is ex- 
cluded, for it is through the abounding grace and 
mercy of God that we receive it. The means em- 
ployed to communicate it to the Christian are all of 
God in Christ. Whatever of faith we exercise in 
cherishing it, is of the Holy Spirit by the Gospel of 
the Son of God. 

Concerning the nature or properties of this hope, 
we would remark, that the several sacred writers of 
the New Testament variously describe it ; but in no 
instance do they contradict each other's views of it. 
They all unite in presenting its true character. Paul, 
in writing to the Thessalonians, ch. 2 : 16, calls it a 
*' good hope ;" as indeed it is, for several reasons ; — 
1. Because it originates in a good source — in God ; 
it is the gift of God. And the apostle assures us that, 
''• Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 
and cometh down from the Father of lights/' God 



118 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

is good, and whatever he communicates to his child- 
ren is good. " For he careth for us, as a father careth 
for his own son that serveth him.'' It is a good hope. 
2. Because it prompts all who possess it to good 
thoughts, words, and acts. The apostle John says : 
'' Every one that hath this hope in him, purifies him- 
self, even as Christ is pure,'' i, e,, it leads the Christian 
to labor to become assimilated into the image of 
Christ, whose glorious person is to be the model of 
the spiritual bodies of all his glorified saints. It is a 
good hope also. 3. Because of its final object. The 
eternal glory of its possessor. 

Peter, in his first epistle (1 : 3), assures us that 
" through the abundant mercy of God, we are begot- 
ten unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead.'' It may truly be called a 
'' lively hope," for when we contemplate its life-giving 
power, w^e realize its tendency to revive and invigor- 
ate the drooping spirit of the sojourner, as he travels 
through this vale of tears, looking for another and 
a better country — a more glorious inheritance. Christ 
has made it lively, by his resurrection from the dead. 
Had he not risen, our hope would have been gloomy 
in the extreme. And what is more animating to the 
Christian than the thought of finally rising from the 
dark cavern of the earth to the glorious light of un- 
clouded day, in the regions of perpetual bliss, to live 
forever with the Lord of glory, the Head of the 
Church ? It not only promotes lively feelings in the 
soul, respecting its future realities : but it also incites 
to lively action, in doing good to others, and in ad- 
vancing the kingdom of Christ in the earth. The 
true Christian is a working Christian. Indolence and 



THE christian's HOPE. 119 

vital godliness have no alliance to each other. As 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are ever ac- 
tive in promoting good on the earth, so also are all 
those who are subject to their united government, 
and hope to enjoy the fruit of labor. 

Solomon informs us, that " the hope of the righteous 
shall be gladness.'' And David says : " Happy is he 
that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope 
is in the Lord his God.'' And Paul says : " We ra- 
joice in hope of the glory of God.'' By all of which 
we are to understand, that the hope of the true be- 
liever causes the soul " to be glad in the Loi'd all his 
days." How can we be otherwise than happy in view 
of eternal glory ? We are bound to rejoice in the 
Lord always, and in all situations. It is said that 
Abraham believed in hope against hope, see Rom. 
4 : 18 — which the faint-hearted should frequently and 
prayerfully consider, for they often lose sight of their 
hope, and fail to rejoice in it. By Abraham's believ- 
ing in hope against hope, is meant, that against all ap- 
parent want of ground of hope, he believed or trusted 
in the promises which God gave him to excite his 
hope ; so should you, my brethren, though you may 
be the weakest Christians, rejoice in believing the 
promises of God, even if the ground of hope in you 
seem to be imperfect — almost lost. Remember that 
faith in Christ and his word, is the confidence of 
things hoped for. Have confidence in God, then, 
whatever lack you have in yourselves, so long as you 
have submitted your hearts to Christ to be saved. 

The apostle Paul, in writing to Titus, chap. 2:13, 
calls the hope of the Christian a blessed hope, viz. : 
" Looking for that blessed hope and the sjlorious ap- 



120 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

pearing of the great God, and our Savior, Jesus 
Christ/' The blessedness of the Christian's hope 
consists merely in the everlasting blessings vt'hich it 
anticipates. It is true, it is blessed in this life for the 
Christian to look forv^ard to the appearing of his 
Savior, the great God ; but the happiness and glory 
of his hope reaches beyond that period, in that it em- 
braces an eternity of the blessedness of enjoying 
Christ's glorious presence. 

Paul was a bold, energetic, and successful advocate 
of the truths of the Gospel. And it was this hope 
which he entertained, that encouraged him to press 
his way onward at all hazards, to endure privations, 
overcome difficulties, face enemies, and even to look 
at death with perfect composure. Hence he says : 
*' Hope maketh not ashamed : because the love of 
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, 
which is given unto us." And at another time he 
says, " seeing that we have such hope, we use great 
plainness (or boldness) of speech." It was this hope 
that gave him great boldness or confidence in prayer, 
in exhortation, and in preaching, before kings, rulers, 
and all men. And having been trained a Pharisee of 
the "straitest sect," he was doubtless well acquainted 
with the writings of the Old Testament, which so 
fully express the hope of the righteous in their death. 
In one place it is written : " The righteous hath hope 
in his death ;" and in another, we are invited to 
*' Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ; for 
the end of that man is peace.'' And the devout 
Psalmist expresses his own experience of strong con- 
fidence in this hope, thus : " Yea, though I walk 
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear 



THE christian's HOPE. 121 

no evil ; for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff 
they comfort me/' The Christian's hope, then, is a 
peaceful and triumphant hope, which the apostle 
realized, when he expressed his readiness to depart 
and to be with Christ. 

The Christian's hope is also termed a saving hope ; 
Rom. 8 : 24 — " For we are saved by hope." By being 
saved by hope, we are to understand, that, by keep- 
ing the object or reality of hope always in view, we 
are preserved or sustained in the midst of the trials 
and temptations which beset us in the way to hea- 
ven. As we are said to be " kept by the power of 
God, through faith unto salvation," so also are we 
kept through the hope which the Holy Ghost has im- 
planted within us, and which he i^eeps revived in the 
soul, for its final salvation. This hope is represented 
by the apostle Paul, as a helmet ; by which is meant, 
that the hope of the Christian enables him to secure 
his mind against any attack of the enemy, whose 
business it is to present evil thoughts, which, if re- 
ceived in the mind, would take effect in the heart, and 
rob him of his enjoyment and of his holy affections. 
Again : by this " helmet, the hope of salvation," the 
Christian " holds fast his confidence unto the end," 
which has "great recompense of reward to those 
who cast it not away." 

In Heb. 6: 19, we are informed that ''this hope 
we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and 
steadfast, and which entereth into that within the 
vail." By which, the Christian is encoui^ged to look 
beyond this vale of tears, and realize a foretaste of 
infinite felicity. It affords him a view of that eternal 
glory which shall he revealed unto all saints, at the 

n 



122 THB VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

glorious coming of Christ their Savior. It is not an 
uncertain hope, but sure and steadfast, that as an 
anchor to the soul, it secures the safety of the heirs 
of promise within the holy place, the kingdom of 
heaven, where Christ ever lives to intercede for his 
people. 

Finally, the Christian's hope is not merely the desire 
and expectation of a heartless visionary; it is that 
Divine assurance which the Holy Spirit gives to all 
the subjects of his regenerating power. It is that 
witness of the Spirit which convinces us that we are 
born of God, and sealed heirs of an eternal inheritance 
in heaven. It is the sanctified desire of a regenerate 
heart, corresponding with the pure, elevated anticipa- 
tions of a well-directed understanding. I have thus, 
my dear brethren, endeavored briefly to explain the 
nature of the Christian's hope, which desires and an- 
ticipates future bliss ; which originates in God ; the 
properties of vvhich are so full of comfort ; and the 
object of which will be surely realized by every sanc- 
tified possessor. For God does not mock his dear 
children with a delusive or uncertain hope, as Satan 
does all who submit to his false colorings. 

In the further treatment of this subject, we would 
call your attention, while we consider the substance 
or reality of the Christian's hope. 

It will be readily seen with a mere glance, that 
there is a wide difference between hope itself and 
the substance of it. Hope longs for, and expects to 
realize something. But the substance of that ex- 
pectation is the reality anticipated and desired. A 
man may hope at some time to be a Christian, and yet 
eternally remain a stranger to the substance of Chris- 



THE christian's HOPE. 123 

tian experience. He might anticipate the eternal en- 
joyment of the righteous, but that anticipation would 
not be the desired good. 

The substance of the Christian's hope consists, 
1. In his being a regenerate child of God, an heir of 
heaven, and a joint-heir with Christ. All persons are 
the offspring of God. But all are not regenerated. 
Hence we make the distinction by the phrase, "rege- 
nerate child of God.'' The apostle informs us that 
they are the sons of God who are led by his Spirit. 
Such a one is conscious that his transgressions are 
forgiven, and his sins so covered, that they appear not 
to condemn him. Guilt is no longer attached to his 
soul to harass him day and night as when he was 
tasting the bitter cup of conviction. Instead of being 
the subject of Divine displeasure, God has chosen 
him one of his favorites, on whom to bestow his 
special care, infinite guidance, and choicest blessings, 
both temporal and spiritual. He is no longer an 
alien from the commonwealth of Israel, but is 
brought nigh unto God, by faith, through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. " Beloved," says the apostle John, 
"now are we the sons of God." And St. Paul 
affirms, " For ye have not received the spirit of bond- 
age again to fear : but ye have received the spirit of 
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit 
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the 
children of God ; and if children, then heirs, heirs of 
God, and joint-heirs with Chj'ist ; if so be that we 
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified to- 
gether." 

The Christian is an heir of a heavenly estate pre- 
pared in the Kingdom of Glory without hands by the 



124 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

infinite skill, unbounded goodness, and almighty power 
of the Great Architect of heaven and earth. He is 
joint-heir with the Prince of Life — the only begotten 
Son of God, by whom, and for whom, all things were 
made and remain. 

This estate comprises all that is grand, and good, 
and happy. There is nothing in all this mountain of 
God's holiness to disturb, to make afraid, to hurt, or 
to dissatisfy. The inhabitants thereof are all pure, 
innocent, honest, intelligent, rich, and happy. Sick- 
ness and death are never felt nor feared in all that 
region. Evil reports, commotions, calamities, dis- 
putings, jealousies, unholy ambition, have no access 
to the peaceful abodes of the citizens of that country. 
The honor which God will confer upon his people 
shall be greatly enhanced by their joint-heirship with 
his only begotten Son, our Redeemer, whose relation 
to us will contribute to the perfection of our bliss. 
, He will leave nothing undone to enrich us and pre- 
sent themes for our investigation and contemplation, 
and call forth our immortal energies to magnify the 
God of our salvation. 

The substance of our hope consists — 
2. In our being raised at the resurrection in the 
likeness of Christ, and of enjoying him for our eternal 
portion. On this point the Scriptures are very expli- 
cit. Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, 
15th chapter, treats conclusively on the resurrection 
of the dead, and shows very plainly that the righteous 
shall not only be spiritualized in body, but that that 
body will assume the same nature and appearance as 
Christ's glorious body. In the 49th verse he says, 
" And as we have born the image of the earthly, we 



THE CHRISTIAN S HOPE. 125 

shall also beai' the image of the heavenly.'^ In the 
context he is speaking of Adam and of Christ. In 
verse 47, he remarks, " The first man (Adam) ^ is of 
the earth, earthy ; the second man is the Lord from 
heaven.'' And in his Epistle to the Philippians, he 
writes thus : '' For our conversation is in heaven ; 
from v^hence also we look for the Savior, the Lord 
Jesus Christ ; who shall change our vile body, that it 
may he fashioned like unto his glorious body, accord- 
ing to the working whereby he is able even to subdue 
all things unto himself." 

The devout Psalmist expresses the same hope in 
the final resurrection, in Psalm 17 : 15 — " As for me I 
will behold thy face in righteousness : I shall be satis- 
fied when I awake with thy likeness.'' 

The apostle John is no less confident. His testi- 
mony is clear and satisfactory on the subject. His 
language of Christian affection to the Church, is, 
" Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth 
not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that, 
when he (Christ) shall appear, we shall he like him ; 
for we shall see him as he is.'' And then adds : 
'' Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth 
himself even as he (Christ) is pure." 

By rising in the image or likeness of Christ we 
are to understand, that our body shall assume the 
same pure, spiritual nature with which Christ ascend- 
ed into heaven. By this it is not meant that every 
person will look alike any more than they do now. 
Each one will be known as he now i^. The only 
difference will be in the change from matter to spirit. 
And . in the case of the righteous, they shall be 

changed morally as well as materially. Like Christ, 
11* 



126 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

their bodies will be free from what now tends 
to corrupt the mind. The avenues of sin will be 
closed. The carnal appetites will no more lead the soul 
to taste forbidden fruit. Their whole being will be 
spotless, pure, innocent, guiltless. They will know 
nothing but what is calculated to elevate their affec- 
tions to the throne of God. They will delight to en- 
gage in those employments only which shall honor 
their Savior. They will desire only that enjoyment 
which pure intelligences can find in uninterrupted 
praises to God, and the Lamb that sitteth upon the 
throne of eternal glory. 

The Christian now enjoys much even while he is 
merely tasting of the joys which shall be realized in 
the world to come. His soul at times feasts on 
Christ — the manna which came down from Heaven 
— when he reads or thinks of the dying love of his 
Savior. But it is with us as the apostle affirms, 
'' Now we see through a glass darkly ; but then face 
to face.'' If the dim view of Christ our Savior, 
through the Gospel, affords us in this life so much plea- 
sure, how great will be our enjoyment when we 
shall see Him as He is ? We shall then realize, as we 
often do now, the truth of the saying of the proverb, 
*' Iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man sharpeneth the 
countenance of his friend." Christ calls his child- 
ren his friend. And when they behold his counte- 
nance in glory, where nothing intervenes to prevent 
a full view of his smiles, how soul-cheering will be 
the presence of such a friend ! He will be the saints' 
light. We are informed in the Book of Revelations, 
chapters 21 and 22, that, in the City of our God, the 
place where his honor dwelleth, and which is to be 



THE christian's HOPE. 127 

the inheritance of his people, " There shall be no 
night there ; and they need no candle, neither light 
of the sun ; for the Lamb is the light thereof.'' 

We shall not only enjoy him in the fullness of his 
glory, and dwell in the midst of his light. But he 
will be the everlasting portion of our souls. From 
the river that flows from the throne of God and the 
Lamb, we shall drink and be satisfied. He will be 
the spiritual sustenance of our immortal being. We 
shall feed on him and never hunger. It is a source 
of unspeakable satisfaction to the Christian to know, 
that what the natural man cannot realize, is revealed 
unto him by the Holy Spirit, through the Gospel of 
Christ. It is, indeed, impossible for the natural "eye 
to see, or the ear to hear, or the heart to conceive, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his 
Spirit.'' Christ assured his disciples, that, " when the 
Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all 
truth and shew you things to come." But, w4th all 
that is revealed, w^e imperfectly comprehend the 
things of the world to come. Our spiritual vision is 
dim. But when this mortal shall put on immortality, 
and our vile bodies be changed into the image of the 
glorious body of Christ, then shall we see clearly and 
comprehend perfectly what is now hid from our view 
by the mantle of sin and corruption which holds our 
souls in mortality. The devout poet strikingly ex- 
presses the substance of our hope in the following 
lines : — 

" And must this body die ? 

This mortal frame decay ? 
And must these active limbs of mine 

Lie mouldering in the clay ? 



^mS^m 



128 THE VALUE OF THE SOUI*. 

" God, my Redeemer, lives, 
And often, from the skies. 
Looks down, and watches all my dus» 
Till He shall bid it rise. 

•* Arrayed in glorious grace> 

Shall these vile bodies shine. 
And every shape, and every face. 
Look heavenly and divine ? 

** These lively hopes we owe 
To Jesus' dying love ; 
We would adore his grace below. 
And sing his power above. 

** Lord, accept the praise 

Of these our humble songs. 
Till strains of nobler sound we raise 
With our immortal tongues," 

Watts» 



^ LECTURE II. 

THE EVIDENCES OF POSSESSING THE CHRISTIANAS HOPE. 

1 Jolin 3:3. " And every man that liath this liope in him, puri- 
fieth himself, even as he is pnre." 

When the Holy Spirit works in the heart to will 
and to do according to his good pleasure, and begets 
within US a lively hope of future glory, he enables us 
to produce fruit corresponding to that hope. He does 
not give us so important a treasure to be hid so as 
not to be able to give a reason for entertaining it. 
There are certaui marks of the Christian character, 
which will more or less manifest themselves in every 
one who is born of God. For the Lord puts his 
Spirit within us, and causes us to observe his statutes. 
He plants within the sanctified heart the foundation 
of those heavenly graces which adorn the humble 
follower of Christ. 

The true believer in Christ is one who has respect 
to the commandments of God. Hence, Christ says : 
" Then are ye my friends, if ye do whatsoever I com- 
mand you.'' Again : " If ye love me, keep my com- 
mandments.'' (See also 1 John 5 : 2, 3.) The com- 
mandments of God are two-fold, and are summed up 
in these two injunctions : " Thou shalt l^ve the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy 
neighbor as thyself." By this we understand, that 



130 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

we should love God supremely, above all other ob- 
jects, whether men or things. We are to give him 
the noblest affections of our hearts. Our love for him 
and his kingdom should be so strong, that if we are 
called to suffer privations or afflictions, we shall 
readily submit. If his interests require the sacrifice 
of our worldly portions to sustain them, we freely 
render to God his own possessions. If He call us to 
spend our time, our life, and the faculties of our soul 
and body, we must sifrrender, obey, and without hesi- 
tation, devote our all to his service. Our mind must 
be subservient to his truth, as revealed in the Gospel, 
and not follow after our own imaginations, precon- 
ceived notions, or cunningly devised fables. We are 
to reverence his name, as too sacred and awful to be 
triflingly or profanely employed. In order to know 
whether we really love him supremely or not, we 
should answer to ourselves such as the following in- 
quiries : Do I continually hunger and thirst after Him, 
with a strong desire to be like Him ? Do I delight 
to commune with Him, and prefer communion with 
Him above all others ? Is my soul distressed at the 
hidings of His face, as one that has lost a valuable 
friend ? Do I avoid thinking, saying, or doing any 
thing that is offensive in His sight, and which is cal- 
culated to incur His displeasure ? Do I habitually, 
strictly, and prayerfully observe his sacred institutions, 
his sanctuary, his ordinances, and the various means 
of grace ? Am I ready at all times freely and liber- 
ally to contribute something to sustain the religious 
enterprises which He employs for the consummation 
of His glory on earth, as in heaven ? Do I love His 
word, search it, and meditate upon it, more than any 



THE christian's HOPE. 131 

other reading matter ? Is my confidence in Him and 
His promises strong and unshaken ; or do I suffer my 
mind to indulge doubts ? Do His commandments 
appear grievous and severe, or do I delight to obey 
them ? In a word, do I have the glory of God in 
view, in all my concerns with God and men, whether 
in worship or in business, or in whatever I think, 
say, or do? 

We are not only commanded to love God supreme- 
ly, but also to love our neighbor as ourself This is 
the '' love which works no ill to our neighbors,'' and 
it is as much a part of that " love which is the ful- 
filling of the law," as the love we owe to God. Our 
neighbor is our fellow-creature, whether at home or 
abroad, with whom we are associated in business or 
not, relative or not, friend or foe, rich or poor, black 
or white, bond or free, criminal or innocent, infidel 
or Christian. The import of the command is : Do 
unto your neighbor precisely what you would have 
him do for you, were you placed in his circum- 
stances. With this fact in view, I would more di- 
rectly call your attention to the duty of brotherly 
love, which not only embraces your duty to all men, 
and to Christians as men, but also as to God's chosen 
people, whom He regards as the apple of his eye, and 
of whom He is specially jealous, even as of the pre- 
cious jewels of the Redeemer's Crown of rejoicing. 

The apostle John, in his epistles, dwells much upon 
love, and especially upon brotherly love. In one 
passage, he says : *' Beloved, let us love one another ; 
for love is of God ; and every one that loveth zs lorn 
of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, 
knoweth not God ; for God is loveJ" Again : ** Wo 



132 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

know that we have passed from death unto Ufe, be- 
cause we love the brethren. He that loveth not his 
brother, abideth in death,'' And in his Gospel he pre- 
sents the sentiment of Christ — " By this shall all men 
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to 
another,'' It appears from these portions of Divine 
truth, that brotherly love is made the test of our sin- 
cere attachment to Christ. It is the brightest evi- 
dence that the Christian can possibly enjoy of his 
new birth. For we know that the unregenerate heart 
is opposed, at least in feelings, to God, to the interests 
of his kingdom, and to his people. But when the 
Holy Spirit changes the heart, he removes those de- 
praved inclinations, and implants new desires, new 
feelings ; in a word, he gives us His Spirit, which is 
love. It is true, many of the impenitent are delighted 
with good discourses, when listening to them ; they 
even take a part in singing, which is an important 
part of religious services. But, after all, they are for- 
getful hearers — they are not doers of the word — and, 
though they may sing with the understanding, they 
do not connect with it the spirit which is the most 
essential part of this act of Divine worship ; for God 
is a Spirit, and is only pleased v/hen we worship him 
in spirit and in truth. A person, then, may be regu- 
lar in attending religious assemblies, and even take a 
part in some of the devotions of true worshippers, 
and yet not feel that brotherly love which always 
adorns the Christian character. This affection can 
only be communicated by God. Hence, only they 
who are born of God know what it is to love as 
brethren. It is different, too, from that kii;idred af- 
fection felt by natural ties, or combined associations, 



THE christian's HOPE. 133 

or merely convened assemblies. There are various 
kinds of mutual societies, and even v^hat are termed 
religious combinations or societies, the members of 
which have a strong affection for each other. But it 
is nothing more than " natural affection." The love 
w^hich is felt by the kindred spirits of the redeemed, 
is holy, disinterested, kind, forbearing, charitable, for- 
giving, humble, meek, tender of another's reputation 
and feelings, not selfish, ready to make due allow^ance 
for infirmities, not censurable. While it does not 
require its possessor to sacrifice personal views of 
doctrine, of duty, of church polity, &c., it influences 
ail to feel alike in religious experience in the main, 
and to exercise that christian friendship to all who 
love God, so as to regard each other the members 
of one family, children of one parent, heirs of one 
inheritance. It leads one to be faithful in prayer 
and exhortation, for the edification and spiritual en- 
joyment of the other. To the real Christian, the 
names which distinguish the several sects are nothing 
but sounding titles, that have but little attraction. 
All he wishes to know, is, whether they are the peo- 
ple of God, who are thus united under their respec- 
tive distinctions. He who really loves those that are 
born of God, loves them because he sees the image of 
his blessed Redeemer impressed upon them. And on 
whomsoever this impress is stamped, he feels that 
such a one is the temple of the Holy Ghost, however 
much degraded he may be in the sight of men, on ac- 
count of circumstances or situations. yThe rich and 
the poor, the bond and the free, the learned and the 
unlearned, the black and the white, the savage and the 

civilized ; all classes, and sexes, and ages, and colors, 
12 



134 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

who love God and his people, are honored with the 
) indwelHng of the Sovereign of the universe, the 
' King of kings, and Lord of lords. And who would 
despise so honorable a host, though so variously situa- 
ted? Not he in whose heart dwells the same spirit. 
Though Christians do not always feel that ardent love 
for God, and for the souls of their perishing neighbors, 
and for believers, that they do when first converted, 
yet they should trust in the Lord and labor continually 
to keep up this lively feeling of brotherly love in their 
souls. They should not for a moment indulge doubts 
respecting their hope in Christ ; for what they have 
enjoyed, and even what little of brotherly love they 
- may feel when in darkness, is an evidence of their 
being subjects of converting grace. And what if the 
Lord does hide his face now and then, on account of 
sins committed or duties neglected : He assures us that 
''He will never leave us nor forsake us." Only "for 
a little moment has He hid himself from us ; but with 
everlasting kindness will He return unto us/' And, 
my dear brethren, if you are at any time led to doubt 
your hope in Christ, examine your hearts, and see 
whether you can feel to say with the Psalmist, 
'' Whom have I in heaven but thee ? And there is 
none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh 
and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of my 
heart, and my portion for ever." And also ascertain 
to your own satisfaction, whether you love Christians, 
and their company, and their devotions, more than 
the world, its company, and its pleasures. Also try 
your hearts to know whether the reading of the 
Scriptures affords you more delight than any other 
book. And if you find upon candid examination — 



THE christian's HOPE. 135 

(i. e., upon an examination which admits not self- 
condemnation nor self-justification) — that you have 
more reason to praise God than to despise his pro- 
mises, begin to thank him for the least evidence of 
your adoption, and not complain that all is dark in 
your case. God loves the thankful soul, and will be- 
stow greater blessings on it than on one which is 
always looking on the gloomy side of the picture. 
Continue to watch and pray, and discharge every 
other known duty, and you will not fail to rejoice al- 
ways, in all things. 

In treating upon the evidences of a soul possessing 
a genuine hope in Christ, I have mainly considered 
the evidences arising from holy love to God and 
man ; not because the Scriptures do not furnish addi- 
tional proofs, but because what have been considered 
are sufficient for the end designed. For if a person 
fulfil the law of love, he will not be wanting in all 
the fruits of the Spirit which shine forth from every 
sanctified heart. 

It might be well, however, merely to add, that, if 
we possess the love spoken of, we shall be ready, at 
all times, to hear, receive, believe, and hold fast the 
truth in sincerity of soul. Error, in any of its forms 
or degrees, will be held in abhorrence by us ; for it is 
hateful to God. It will be our highest pleasure to 
love what God loves, which is truth, and to hate what 
God abhors, which is error. We shall also labor to 
be more and more like God in his holy nature, by 
seeking the sanctifying influences of hi^ Holy Spirit, 
and ordering all our affairs with Christian discretion, 
and make the religion of Christ the main business of 
life, by examining our hearts, correcting our conduct. 



I 



136 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

guarding against all unholy inclinations, watching our 
own words that they offend not God or man. We 
shall be diligent in business, fervent in spirit, and 
in all serving God ; holy and consistent zeal will cha- 
racterize all our proceedings. We shall constantly 
labor to enrich our minds with the Word of God, 
the Holy Scriptures, to treasure them in the memory, 
apply them to the heart and life, and employ them to 
render others happy, and holy, and useful. The pro- 
mises, especially, will be our delightful study, our 
meat, and our drink. And, finally, if we enjoy this 
hope and love, we shall be led to cherish strong, un- 
shaken confidence in God and in his Word ; at all 
times, under all circumstances, in all situations. We 
shall, as the apostle did, anxiously look, and patiently 
wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
shall change our vile bodies, and fashion them like 
unto his most glorious body ;" and not fear " to de- 
part and be with Christ," which is far better than to 
enjoy this life with all its transient blessings. 



LECTURE III. 

god's object in human redemption and its 
importance. 

Phil. 1:6. " Being confident of this very thing, that he lohich hath 
begun a good work in yon, will perform it until the day of Jesus 
Christ.'' 

In looking into the plan of salvation, as revealed in 
the Scriptures, we shall discover that order is as dis- 
tinctly manifest in all that has been done to save man 
as we may find by investigating the operations of 
matter in the natm^al world under the government of 
the same Almighty ruler. God does nothing without 
a well-regulated system. Hence, much that he does 
meets with feelings and expressions of opposition from 
the enemies of his righteous government, and too 
often from his professed friends, who owe all they 
enjoy of his salvation to that order of things which 
has been parallel with His existence. 

The very nature of the Divine existence is such, 
that he cannot at any time change from what he first 
intended to do, otherwise he cannot be what he 
affirms of himself, unchangeable. If he be unchange- 
able at all, he must be such in his very being — in his 
mind. And if he purpose to do anythihg for himself 
or his creatures, that purpose must be formed in his 
mind, and hence it must be parallel with his mind, 

which is eternal. And to suppose that He purposes 
12* 



138 THE VALUE OP THE SOUL, 

now to do what He did not always intend to do, 
would be attaching to his infinite, immutable mind 
new thoughts and new purposes, which would at 
once deny his infinity — his perfection. If he intends 
to-day to save his people, and knows them, he always 
knew them aud always intended to save them. There 
is not one whom he has redeemed and adopted into 
his family, but what he eternally meant to save. This 
may appear to some to be strong meat, but it is in 
perfect accordance with the Being of God, the per- 
fections of God, the Word of God, and a common 
sense view of the whole scheme of Redemption. 

The plain common sense question is, Did God have 
a specific object in view in giving his only begotten 
Son a ransom for sinners, or not ? If He did not, 
then He certainly once acted differently from his 
usual course, and in a matter, too, of m^ore import- 
ance than even the creation of the world and its in- 
habitants. If He did have a specific object in view 
in saving sinners — that object was that He might 
have " a chosen generation, a holy nation, a peculiar 
people ; who should show forth the praises of Him 
who had called them out of darkness into his marvel- 
lous light;" and those, too, in whose " eto^/zaZ salva- 
tion'' he should not be frustrated or disappointed. 

It is said of Christ, the Savior of sinners, that he 
was the Lamb slain from " before the foundation of the 
world." The same Scriptures assure us, that the 
sanctified in heart were chosen in Christ "from the 
foundation of the world." Now it must appear plain 
to every candid mind — however much against natural 
feelings, sympathies, and corresponding sentiments — 
that if, in the Divine mind, the Savior was crucified 



HUMAN REDEMPTION. 139 

for sinners, before those sinners existed, it is just as 
reasonable that the elect should have been chosen in 
Christ, in the Divine mind, thousands of years before 
they lived. And to deny the one or the other would 
be giving the lie to the Holy Spirit. Nay, " Let God 
be true, and every man a liar." Our unbelief does 
not alter the fact as revealed by God. The whole 
system of Redemption may be mysterious to us, as is 
also the Divine existence and many things relating to 
our future state ; but the facts respecting them are 
undeniable. And for faith in those facts w^e are 
responsible, and not for inabihty to comprehend the 
mystery that covers them. 

Well, if God did give his chosen people to Christ, 
before the foundation of the world, as the glory, the 
jewels of his Crown of rejoicing, when he submitted, 
so long before the suffering, to become the sacrifice 
for them, it must have been certain in the infinite 
mind of the Savior that not one of his precious jewels 
should be lost — not one star of his glorious crown 
should fall to perdition. The final object of his suf- 
ferings and obedience should be secured. The confi- 
dent language of Christ on this point is too plain to be 
mistaken. And he was capable of knowing whether 
he v/as self-deceived or not — for he knew all things. 
He remarks in John 6 : 37, 39, 57, '' All that the 
Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that 
Cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out. And this is 
the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all 
which he hath given me, / should lose nothing, but 
should raise it up again at tHe last day," &c. 

Thus we learn that the object God had in view, in 
the salvation of men, was worthy of just such a 



140 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Being as the Scriptures represent him to be. It was 
the eternal purpose of an infinite God, whose un- 
Hmited power and wisdom richly qualify him to ac- 
complish what w^as parallel with his existence. 

And that the salvation of the sinner is important 
in the mind of God is unquestionable. For there is 
nothing done by Him which is of a trifling character. 
All his words and actions are the result of infinite 
wisdom. His thoughts and ways are not as our 
thoughts and ways, which are often so imperfect as 
to need a reconsideration. He is a Being of unity in 
nature, in perfections, in feelings, in thoughts, in words, 
and in deeds. 

The voice of inspiration is, " The Lord our God is 
one Lord.^' Hence, whatever he thinks, says, or 
does, must be important. And there is no act of the 
Divine mind and power to which he, has attached so 
much importance as that of human redemption. 

Indeed, the high responsibility which God has con- 
nected with human instrumentality in the salvation 
of sinners, strongly argues that it is an important 
work. This language to the ministry under the Old 
Testament economy is very striking; for instance, 
" Son of man, / have made thee a watchman unto the 
house of Israel ; therefore, hear the word at my mouth, 
and give them warning from me. When I say unto 
the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest 
kim not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked 
from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked 
man shall die in his iniquity ; hut his blood will I re- 
quire at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, 
and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his 



HUMAN REDEMPTION. I4l 

wicked ways, he shall die in his iniquity ; hut thou 
hast delivered thy soul!' 

This presents a solemn view of tlie position which 
the ministry sustained under the law. If they faith- 
fully warned the sinner, they enjoyed a conscience 
void of offence towards God and man. But if they 
were negligent of the duty imposed upon them, the 
fearful consequences rested upon both them and the 
sinner. And under the Gospel dispensation, the impor- 
tance of human instrumentality is enhanced. Hence, 
the great Apostle of the Gentiles said, " For though I 
preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for ne- 
cessity is laid upon me : yea, woe is unto me if I preach 
not the Gospel!' He thus expresses the feelings of 
every true minister of Christ, and plainly shows how 
well the Gospel minister's experience corresponds 
with the solemn declaration of the inspired prophet. 
It all argues, that the salvation of man is so important 
in his view:> that he employs just such instrumentali- 
ties as shall not fail to do his pleasure among men. 
He presents before them such motives as he knows 
will lead to the faithful discharge of those duties, 
which, under his influence, must be successful in the 
accomplishment of his infinite, eternal purposes. 

The very fact, that it was necessary for Christ to 
become incarnate, and to fulfil all righteousness by 
perfect obedience of the Divine law, and to suflfer and 
die the innocent for the guilty, and to rise from the 
grave and thus proclaim liberty to the captives, and 
to act as Mediator for his people — I say all this clearly 
indicates how important in the mind of God was the 
sinner's salvation. So much would not have been 
done by the great Jehovah and Sovereign of the uni- 



142 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

verse, it the conversion and final salvation of the sin- 
ner w^ere a mere matter of contingency or doubt. 
God certainly intended to accomplish the end for 
v^hich he used the means. When he devised the 
plan of redemption, and appointed a Savior to save 
his people from their sins, he did not commence a 
warfare with the powers of darkness to be conquered. 
Neither did he begin a work which he was incompe- 
tent to complete. In looking at all that has been 
done to save men, we see nothing connected with any 
part of the scheme but what is essential to ensure 
success. 

The importance attached to the sinner's conversion 
to God is seen in the Divine requirements which are 
necessary to be observed in order to salvation. 
Mark 16 : 16, "He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be 
damned/' Acts 16 : 31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and thou shalt be saved." John 3 : 5-7, 
" Jesus answered, verily I say unto you, except a 
man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born 
of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the 
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto you, 'z/e 
must he horn again.' " 

It would appear from these texts that the Holy 
Spirit meant that the salvation of the sinner was too 
valuable to be easily sacrificed — that it was a pearl 
of too great price to be cast out and trodden under 
foot. But if a man may lose this new birth when- 
ever he wanders from the path of duty or integrity, 
for a time, and receive it again whenever he returns 
(which he cannot do without the Spirit's influence) 



HUMAN REDExMPTION. 143 

to his Father's forsaken home, and embraces, we can- 
not realize the force of these Scriptures. And if we 
are required to beheve, in order to this salvation — in 
order to the reception of this new birth, in the first 
instance, why not every subsequent act of faith en- 
sure the same blessing ? And if so, it would seem to 
be too common a favor to attach so much import- 
ance to it as the Scriptures do throughout, and espe- 
cially those quoted above. 

It is very plain that Christ meant to teach, in those 
texts, the fact, that, if we believe for, and receive re- 
generation, it would be unto us a treasure which none 
could rob us of — " the good part which should not be 
taken away/' In fact, every instance in which sal- 
vation is spoken of in the Scriptures, it is represented 
as being a permanent blessing secured to the receiver, 
and not a "pearl of great price" which is lost and 
found again repeatedly. There is not a single in- 
stance, on Divine record, of a true believer in Christ 
being abandoned by God. The sacred writers inva- 
riably inform us, that if we believe we shall be saved. 
As though, when we receive the sealing of the Holy 
Ghost, the pardon of our sins, the adoption of child- 
ren, we are saved for time and for eternity. They 
speak as though the work of salvation was only once 
performed, and then thoroughly done — surely done. 

When the Holy Spirit undertakes the work of re- 
generation, he invariably begins with the sinner as 
though he were engaging in a matter of importance 
— a matter which has respect to the futui^ as well as 
the present. With some he labors long, and in vari- 
ous ways. He leads them by different means to see 
the plague of their hearts. Some he draws gently 



144 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

along into the path of obedience ; while others are 
arrested, like Saul of Tarsus, in a moment. The 
pangs of hell seem to take hold on their souls as quick 
as lightning. And in the keen convictions of con- 
science, they cry long and loud, " God be merciful to 
me a sinner.'' With some it is the work of years 
before they are brought fully to surrender to the free 
workings of the Holy Spirit. It is true, the Spirit 
of God could, in a moment, change the mind and 
heart of the sinner, but, for reasons best known to 
himself, he chooses another course. 

The fact, then, that so important agencies are con- 
cerned in accomplishing the salvation of sinners, ar- 
gues the value of that salvation. It argues, too, that 
it is too important a work to be sacrificed in a mo- 
ment. For the same agencies carry on this salvation 
to its completion, that have been engaged in its com- 
mencement. And the language of God to his people 
by his apostle is — " Being confident of this very thing, 
that he which hath begun a good work in you, will 
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.'' This work 
is carried on in the manner expressed by this same 
apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, where he prays 
God to " make them perfect in every good work to do 
his will, working in them that which is well pleasing 
in his sight, through Jesus Christ." 



LECTURE IV. 

THE EFFECTUAL INTEREST OF GOD AND OF HIS ANGELS 
FOR HIS PEOrLE. 

Ephes. 2 : 7. "But God, wlio is rich in mercy, /^tr his great love 
whereimth he loved us. even ivhenwe were dead in sins, hath quickened 
us together with Christy (by grace are ye saved), and hath raised us 
up together^ and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus ; THAT IX THE AGES TO COME, he might show the exceeding 
riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus." 

Heb. 1 : 14. " Are they (the angels), not all ministering spirits, 
sent forth to miiiister for them who shall be heirs of salvation .-*" 

The Lord our God and Father has, in his Word, 
expressed in strong language his everlasting love for 
his chosen people. He loves us with a heavenly love 
— with an unchanging love — even unto the end. 
The apostle John, with a heart full of admiration, 
while contemplating the Divine love of God for His 
children, could only exclaim, ** Behold what manner 
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we 
should be called the sons of God V His language 
failed him— he could not describe the kind of love 
which the Father had bestowed upon His children — 
he could only call their attention to admire the fact 
of the infinite compassion of God to miserable, hell- 
deserving sinners. It is a truth universally admitted, 
that any one who was heartily loilling and abund- 
antly able to accomplish a certain object, never failed 
to succeed, when an attempt was made. Well, is 
13 



146 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

God willing and desirous to secure the final salvation 
of his people ? Without fear of contradiction, we 
reply, yes ; he feels an intense and inexpressible in- 
terest in their case. This is plain, not only from the 
text, but also from the follow^ing Scriptures. Ps. 
103 : 13 — '•' Like as a father pitieth his children, so 
the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Isa. 43 : 1, 2 — 
** Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called 
thee by thy name ; thou art mine. When thou pass- 
est through the waters I will be with thee ; and through 
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee ; when thou 
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, 
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.'' This is a 
fair representation of the kind dealings of God to- 
wards the Israelites, who passed safely through the 
Red Sea, and of the three Hebrews who remained 
unhurt in the fiery furnace. Even so now may the 
children of God pass through the waters of affliction 
— the huge weaves may roll over their souls — the foam- 
ing billows may present ever so frightful an appear- 
ance, and yet the Lord, being in the midst thereof, 
can calm the ranging storm, and bid the waves be 
still. The fires of persecution may be kindled — the 
flames may rise high — the heat may be increasingly 
intense until it reach its height, and yet the redeemed 
of the Lord will remain unhurt ; for behold ! He that 
keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. And one 
like unto the Son of man moves among the destroy- 
ing element, that burns within the malicious hearts of 
the enemies of his children, and prevents the accom- 
plishment of their infernal designs. Again, in Isa. 
49 : 15, we read : "Can a woman forget her sucking 
child, that she should not have compassion on her 



god's interest for his people. 147 

son. Yea, they may forget, yet I loill not forget tliee!^ 
How unnatural it would be for a mother to refuse her 
child that by which its being is sustained ! How 
much more inconsistent with the Divine nature would 
it be for our heavenly Father to neglect to supply his 
children that grace by which their spiritual life is 
sustained, in order to their final perseverance ! The 
earthly parent, however, possesses only a finite love, 
which is susceptible of abatement, even to forgetful- 
ness of her offspring's wants. But God our Father 
regards his children with infinite affection, and hence 
he can never love us less — never forget to supply our 
necessities. He may hide his face from us, but it is 
because he loves us, and intends in so doing to keep 
us faithful. Of this we have abundant assurance in 
the following passage from the prophecy of Isa. 54 : 
8-10 — " In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, /or 
a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have 
mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For 
this is as the waters of Noah unto me ; for as I have 
sworn that the v/aters of Noah should no more go 
over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be 
wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the moun- 
tains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my 
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the 
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord 
that hath mercy on thee.'' This is in perfect keeping 
with the apostolic consolation to the converted Jews. 
Paul quotes from the Old Testament, and remarks — 
" For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor for- 
sake thee," and then adds, '' So that we may boldly 
say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what 
man shall do unto me." 



148 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

The Lord not only thus expresses his special re- 
gard for his ^'edeemed people, but He as clearly de- 
clares his ability, which He will employ to fulfil his 
desire '' to show unto eternal generations the exceed- 
ing riches of his everlasting love '' — even to prevent 
their final apostacy. For instance, Rom. 14: 4— 
" Yea, he shall be holden up, for God is able to make 
him stand.'' Isaiah shows how the Lord makes them 
stand. Isa. 40 : 29 — " He giveth power to the faint ; 
and to them that have no might he inci^easeth strength/' 
2 Cor. 9 : 8 — " And God is able to make all grace 
abound toward you ; that ye always^ having sufficiency 
in all things, may abound in eveiy good work." Eph. 
3 : 20 — " Now, unto him that is able to do exceed- 
ing abundantly above all that we ask or think, accord- 
ing to the power that worketh in us, be glory," &c. 
Jude 24 — " Now unto him that is able to keep you 
from falling, and to present you faultless before the 
presence of his glory with exceeding joy, be majesty," 
&c. It would seem perfectly superfluous to attempt 
a comment upon these portions of Divine revelation. 
They cannot be mistaken by the honest believer. 
For surely all must see that the inspired apostle would 
not have spoken of " the ability of God to keep his 
people from falling, in order to save them, by present- 
ing them without fault in his preseiice, ivith great 
joy," if it v/ere not with the view to establish the doc- 
trine of our text, which shows '' that we are kept by 
the power of God unto eternal salvation," and not 
that we are left to save ourselves. 

Indeed, " God's rich mercy " could not be suffici- 
ently exhibited in the salvation of his people, if He 
merely started them in the way to eternal life by re- 



god's interest for his people. 149 

generation. He would then only have laid the foun- 
dation on which they should build their own ever- 
lasting habitation, which could never be accomplished 
for want of infinite ability, and because of the fre- 
quent annoyances, and interruptions, and indifference 
which are incident to a life of piety on earth. 

God is an infinite Spirit, and as such he loves his 
people, which love leads him to employ every agency, 
both material and immaterial, that shall conduce to 
the ultimate end of his eternal purposes. And, in 
order to accomplish the final salvation of his chosen 
heirs of promise. He has so constituted them with 
spirits that bear alliance to those Spirits of the eternal 
regions where he dwells, that He can employ his hea- 
venly host that do his will in heaven, to engage their 
pure, immortal energies in securing the souls of men 
from the devourers, the false angels, that continually 
lie in wait to entrap the wandering; unweary believer. 
And, as they take pleasure in serving God around his 
eternal throne- by songs of praise, even so are they 
glad to labor towards enriching Heaven with redeem- 
ed souls. 

It is not very surprising that man should manifest 
some concern, for the happiness of his fellow-crea- 
tures ; for human sympathy is easily and strongly ex- 
cited in view of suflfering humanity. Neither is it 
strano-e that the ffreat Creator of man should love his 
people unto the end, and devise means by which their 
holiness and happiness could be secured. But that 
angels should become interested for men is truly admi- 
rable. Yet when we consider the fact that God has, 
from the introduction of sin and misery by man, en- 
gaged the attention of angels to prevent or alleviate 
13* 



150 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL* 

human woe, it is not strange that they should delight 
to do good to earthly beings, whose souls bear some 
affinity to their own nature. Angels occupied an 
important agency in making known to men the 
coming of their Savior. They held correspondence 
with the parents of Jesus, respecting his incarnation, 
his place of nativity, his name, the design of his 
coming, and his security from the malicious designs 
of his enemies. 

These heavenly messengers were swift to bear the 
glad tidings to our world, that the Savior was born ; 
which should be a source of joy to nations sitting in 
darkness and in the shadow of death, subject to eter- 
nal condemnation. They also ministered consola- 
tion to Christ in the hour of his severe conflict with 
Satan on the Mount. 

Our blessed Savior informs us that the repentance 
of sinners causes great joy among the angels. They 
are not selfish beings. Neither are they jealous of 
the believer's enjoyment. They rather praise God 
that the way of salvation is opened for miserable 
offenders. Our Lord's remark above referred to, of 
angels rejoicing over penitent sinners, is recorded in 
Luke 15 : 7 — "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall 
be in Heaven, over one sinner that repenteth, more 
than over ninety and nine just persons which need no 
repentance." It must certainly afford sweet consola- 
tion to the anxious soul, to reflect upon this saying of 
Christ his Savior. Well, if it causes angels to rejoice, 
when repenting sinners come to the rock of their 
salvation to be secured against the storm of Divine 
vengeance, how much more interested must He be, 



god's interest for his people. 151 

who died to save them — whose they are and ever 
will be ? 

But what shall we say of angels rejoicing at the 
repentance of sinners, if they are not finally saved to 
become the associates of those angels? One of two 
facts is certain : either new-born souls over whom 
angels rejoice at their becoming heirs of Heaven and 
final associates with themselves, will persevere unto the 
end, and realize the joys of Heaven, or angels in 
Heaven frequently rejoice in vain, or in other words, 
they rejoice over what may chance to produce in 
their minds, finally, nothing but sad disappointment. 
But the former is the most reasonable, because angels 
rejoice intelligently. They not only express great 
joy at the regeneration of the hearts of men, but, 
being taught of God, they undoubtedly know whom 
God has chosen heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, 
and hence, who will be their eternal companions in 
glory. Besides the deep interest these heavenly 
spirits feel when the sinner first comes to Christ, the 
Scriptures throughout, and in various ways, and 
especially the text, inform us that they are the 
commissioned invisible messengers of God, sent 
forth to minister unto the temporal and spiritual 
necessities of saints during their earthly pilgrim- 
age. It is no doubt owing to this fact that Chris- 
tians are often saved from great and unknown 
calamities which they might otherwise have expe- 
rienced. 

The Old Testament Scriptures afford numerous 
and striking instances of angelic agency employed 
by God to save, strengthen, provide for, or comfort his 
people, as the case required. The Gospels and the 



152 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Acts of the Apostles, are no less explicit in affirniing 
the concern of angels for Christ and his apostles in 
their varied circumstances. 

Without citing those instances, it may be merely 
necessary here to offer a few quotations from Scrip- 
ture to show the attention of angels towards the peo- 
ple of God. Psalm 34 : 7—'' The angel of the Lord 
encampeth round about them that fear Him and 
delivereth them/' Psalm 91 : 11, 12 — '^ He shall 
give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all 
thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, 
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Matt. 18 : 
10 — ''Take heed that ye despise not one of these 
little ones (the meanest Christian), for I say unto you, 
that in Heaven their angels do behold the face of my 
Father, which is in Heaven." Heb. 1 : 14 — "Are 
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister 
for them who shall be heirs of salvation." Dan. 
6 : 22 — " My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut 
the lions' mouths." 7 : 10 — " Thousand thousands 
ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten 
thousand stood before Him." Acts 5 : 19 — "The 
angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, 
and brought the apostles forth," &c. 8 : 26 — " And 
the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying," &c. 
Matt. 13 : 39—" The harvest is the end of the world ; 
and the reapers are the angels," &c., &o. Thus we 
have the concurrent testimony of the Sacred Writers 
that angels are sent forth by God, as spirits to 
inflame the spirits of men, and especially of Christians, 
and to keep them in all their ways, so that they shall 
not finally fall and perish. Believers, no doubt, owe 
much of their faithfulness and perseverance, under 



god's 1x\^terest for his people. 153 

God, to these ministering spirits, who ever have been 
habitually interested in the present and future welfare 
of all the sanctified heirs of Heaven. 

And what is more, we are informed that these 
heavenly messengers shall be engaged at the coming 
of Christ, in gathering together in one kingdom all 
those in Christ over whom they rejoiced and watched 
while journeying through this vale of tears. And, 
in the Gospel by Matthew, as above quoted, Christ as- 
sures us, that in the end of the world angels will be 
the reapers of the great harvest of immortal souls, 
and that they shall then go forth and sever the 
wicked from among the righteous, assigning each 
their respective portion. So that not one stone shall 
be missing to complete the building of God — not one 
companion of those bright seraphs shall be lost. The 
charge committed to angels will be cared for. The 
humblest Christian — the babe in Christ — the weakest 
saint — will receive that attention their individual case 
requires. No partiality will be shown. The rich 
and the poor — all classes on earth, will, in Heaven, 
receive equal respect. The angels, who will be their 
eternal associates, have not learned to be exalted one 
above the other ; hence none need fear on the ground 
of present inequality. The position a man now occu- 
pies in the world or in the Church has a tendency to 
raise one Christian professor above another, in human 
estimation ; and, of course, other men of high degree 
secure more professed friends than do the lower class. 
But, according to the Scriptures, that kind of human 
exaltation practiced on earth will not be allowed in 
Heaven. There, each one will be esteemed according 
to his true merits. So that many of the most despised 



154 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

and retired Christians on earth will be the brightest 
ornaments in the Kingdom of Glory. And they are 
doubtless now, and ever will be, the subjects of the 
special attention of that heavenly host who are sent 
forth to minister unto the heirs of salvation. For 
such persons are generally poor, and oftener need 
the regard of that Providence which suffers not even 
a hair of our head to fall to the ground without his 
notice, and which is ever swift to relieve the sainted 
sufferer who may be in want of the common necessa- 
ries of this life, or who may be exposed to imminent 
danger from the fierce elements of nature by sea or 
by land, or from determined, malicious, subtle enemies, 
whose wicked designs are directed to destroy our life, 
our reputation, our religious or domestic enjoyments, 
or our immortal souls. 

God, by his ministering spirits, is in the darkened 
heavens, the loud peals of thunder, the lightning, the 
rain, the hail, the wind. He commands and directs 
them all. And He is the Christian's God and Father 
who careth for us as a father careth for his own son 
that serveth him. Why then should we fear, while 
we know that our friend with his mighty angels is in 
the midst of the storm. Well does he take great in- 
terest in securing our temporal good and safety, and 
shall he fail to exercise the same care, and engage 
the same agency in promoting the eternal well-being 
of his heirs of promise ? O, no ! Fear not, then, ye be- 
lieving souls, for God and his flaming seraphs are in 
the midst of your enemies, and they so restrain them, 
that their power becomes like that of the fierce lions 
which trembled while righteous Daniel was in their 



god's interest for his people. 155 

midst, because Daniel's God, with his mighty host, 
was there. Then Satan, with all his emissaries, may 
be combined against your eternal welfare, yet if God 
be for you, they shall fall powerless at your feet, and 
you shall come off a perfect conqueror ! 



I 



LECTURE V. 

THE GIFT OF HEAVEN AND aUALIFICATIONS TO 
SECURE IT. 

Rom. 8': 32. ** He that spared not liis own Son, but delivered him 
up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all 
things." 

The apostle thus reasons consistently and forcibly. 
He argues, that, if God so loved his chosen people, as 
to give his only-begotten Son to be the ransom for 
them, He would not fail to give them all the qualifica- 
tions necessary to the completion of the object which 
Christ came to secure for the redeemed of the Lord. 
He would not only qualify them to receive the Savior 
of sinners by regeneration and forgiveness of sins, but 
He would give them grace and strength to hold on 
their way even unto the end, and finally introduce 
them into that kingdom of glory, which he promises 
to give unto all his sanctified children. 

The devout Psalmist felt this assurance in his own 
soul when he penned the following sentiment : " The 
Lord God is a sun and a shield : the Lord will ^ive 
grace and glory : no good thing will he withhold from 
them that walk uprightly.'' 

The Lord our God well knows the frailty and sin- 
fulness of human nature. And he has, therefore, so 
arranged the affairs of his moral government, that he 
can secure the final perseverance of the saints, with- 



THE GIFT OF HEAVEN. 157 

out at all interfering with their free agency : and so 
as to cause them to work out their eternal salvation 
with fear and trembling, and yet in it al! to acknow- 
ledge God the author of their holy affections. 

The apostle James informs us, that " Every good 
gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh 
down from the Father of lights, with whom is no va- 
riableness, neither shadow of turning/' This text 
plainly indicates, that, whatever gifts the Lord be- 
stows are permanently secured to the receiver. For 
the Lord varies not in the least degree. There is not 
even a shadow of turning with him. The apostle 
in the next verse adds, " Of Ms own will begat He us 
with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first- 
fruits of his creatures.'' 

The Scriptures abound in testimony of the fact 
that heaven is given to his sanctified people. And 
surely, w^hat the unchangeable God gives to the sub- 
jects of his own choice. He takes not away. Christ, 
as the good Shepherd, declares to his sheep, who inva- 
riably mean the righteous, " I give unto them eternal 
life." " Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's 
good pleasure, to give you the kingdom." Paul as- 
sures us also, that " The gift of God is eternal life." 
These words of the Holy Spirit are too plain to be 
mistaken in their meaning and import. They settle 
the point that heaven is not merited by anything that 
we can do. A whole life of uninterrupted faithful- 
ness could not secure it. God will have the whole 
glory of our salvation. And if we are so fortunate as 
to escape the corruption that is in this world, and be- 
come partakers of the Divine spiritual nature in the 
world to come, we shall find that not only heaven 

14 



158 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

is the gift of God, but every qualification which has 
made us fit for its blessedness, has also been given 
unto us by Him. The Lord has not left himself 
without inspired witnesses to prove that He gives to 
his people repentance, faith, and all the Christian 
graces by which they shall " hold on their way'' and 
"be faithful unto death,'' in order to receive "the crown 
of life" worn by Jesus Christ, and " the kingdom of 
heaven prepared for them from the foundation of the 
world," which our Savior would complete for them 
by going to his Father, that where He is they should 
be also. The Lord gives repentance. Acts 5: 31 — 
" Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a 
Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, 
and the forgiveness of sins." Ch. 1 1 : 18 — " Then hath 
God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto 
life." 2 Tim. 2 : 25 — " If God, peradventure, will give 
them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. '* 

These portions of Scripture forcibly teach that this 
repentance is not only the gift of God, but that it is a 
repentance which needeth not to be repented of. ''It 
is a repentance which stops not short of eternal life." 
It is here called, " a repentance unto the forgiveness 
of sins," " a repentance unto life," " a repentance unto 
the acknowledging of the truth." In short, it is ge- 
nuine repentance, for God can give no other kind. 
By God giving repentance is meant that he gives the 
sinner to see and feel the necessity of it, and a dispo- 
sition to practice it. 

He gives faith. John 1 : 12, 13 — "But as many as 
received him, to them gave he power to become the 
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, 
which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the 



THE GIFT OF HEAVEN. , 159 

flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God/' Ch. 6 : 65 — > 
" And Christ said. No man can come unto me, except 
it were given unto him of my Father/' Eph. 2 : 8 — 
" For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that 
not of yourselves : it is the gift of God'' Phil. 1 : 29 — 
" For unto you it is. given, in the behalf of Christ, not 
only to believe, but also to suffer for his sake/' 

These texts declare the fact, that faith is the gift of 
God. Other portions of Scripture show the means 
employed by God to lead men to exercise faith to the 
saving of their souls. For instance, Paul speaks, in 
Gal. 3 : 2, 5, of '' the hearing of faith," and in Rom. 
10 : 16, 17, he explains it thus, " But they have not all 
obeyed t-he Gospel. For Esaias saith, ' Lord, who 
hath believed our report.' So, then, faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.'' And in 
verses 14, 15, he inquires, "How, then, shall they 
call on him in whom they have not believed? and 
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not 
heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? 
and how shall they preach except they be sent?" 
Here we see the well-connected chain. God must 
send the preacher to preach the glad tidings of the 
Gospel of Christ, that the people may hear what re- 
lates to their eternal salvation, that they may have 
something to believe, and that the Holy Spirit may 
work in their hearts to will and to do according to his 
good pleasure. This whole arrangement is in keep- 
ing with the Divine commission of our Lord to his 
ministers : " Go ye into all the world and preach the 
Gospel unto every creature. He that believeth and 
is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not 
shall be damned. Andy lo ! I am with you always. 



160 . THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

even unto the end of the world.'' The Lord gives us 
the Holy Spirit, who is the author of all holy affec- 
tions in the soul, and which are exhibited in the life 
of the believer, and by which he continues faithful 
unto death. Acts 11 : 15, 17 — "And as I began to 
speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the 
beginning. Then remembered I the word of the 
Lord ; how that he said, John indeed baptized with 
water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 
Forasmuch, then, as God gave them the like gift as he 
did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
what was I, that I could withstand God ?" Ch. 15 : 8, 9 
— " And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them 
witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did 
unto us ; and put no difference between us and them, 
'purifying their hearts by faith." John 14: 16, 17 — 
*' And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you 
another comforter, that He may abide with you, for 
ever, even the Spirit of truth : whom the world can- 
not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth 
him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and 
shall he in you J' Thus we learn : 1. That God gives 
his Spirit to his people: ''Ye are the temple of the 
Holy Ghost." 2. That w^hen he takes possession of 
our hearts he purifies and comforts us. He takes our 
affections from the earth, and draws them towards the 
sun of righteousness. He governs our will, directs 
our ways, strengthens our confidence, and pours into 
the distressed soul the oil of joy for mourning, and sup- 
plies the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 
In a word, God, by the sanctifying influences of his 
Spirit, gives us all those christian graces which adorn 
the character of his believing children. Ezek. 36: 



THE GIFT OF HEAVEN. 161 

26, 27 — " A new heart also will I give you, and a new 
spirit will I put within you ; and I will take away the 
st; ny heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an 
heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, 
and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 
keep my judgments and do them/' Gal. 5 : 22, 23 — 
" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem- 
perance, against such there is no law." By these 
graces being the fruit of the Spirit, is doubtless meant, 
that, when the Lord regenerates the heart and puts 
his Spirit within us, that Spirit will lead us to holy 
thoughts and exercises, and produce in our minds 
those principles specified above, and cause us to ma- 
nifest them in our life and conversation, so that all 
the holy enjoyment we have, and all the good proper- 
ties of moral character we exhibit, are the gift of God ; 
and only when, for a season, we are left to ourselves, 
do we display the v/eakness and uncertainty of human 
ability. 

Well, if God give his children heaven, and in order 
to secure that gift for them, so that not one shall be 
able to rob them of it. He bestows upon them, during 
their earthly pilgrimage, all that is necessary to keep 
them from final apostacy, what cause is there to fear? 
And ''Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show 
unto the heirs of promise the immutability (unchange- 
ableness) of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath ; 
that by two immutable things, in which it was im- 
possible for God to lie, we might have a strong con- 
solation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the 
hope set before us ; which hope we have as an an- 
chor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which 
14^ 



162 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL, 

entereth into that within the vail — ^whither the fore- 
runner is for us entered, even Jesus," &c. It seems 
from these w^ords of the apostle, that, as God has 
sw^orn by himself and by his word, to bestow eternal 
life upon his children — the heirs of promise — they 
entertain a hope, which is so sure and steadfast, that 
its anchorage is where Christ has entered, even eter- 
nal glory. Surely such a hope can never be lost. It 
is immutably fixed. God has secured it. 



LECTURE VL 

Christ's intercession for his people. 

1 John 2:1. " And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 

The Apostle James informs us, that " the effectual 
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." 
None will be able to tell the power of the humblest 
prayer to God, until the period when Divine Justice 
shall present his infinite claims. Even the rude 
petitions which may be lightly esteemed by the re- 
fined, will be seen to have been answered upon men 
with blessings temporal, spiritual, and eternal. In- 
stances are on Scripture record of the powerful ef- 
fects of prayer. The elements of nature have yielded 
to its force. The planets have been made to obey 
at its call. The boisterous ocean has been calmed 
through its instrumentality. Disease and death have 
stopped their work of destruction by it. Want and 
sorrow have been removed at its cries. War and 
bloodshed have ceased by its entreaties. Crime and 
guilt have diminished before its influence. Hell has 
been robbed of many of its subjects, and heaven has 
been enriched by the spoil, through the eflfectual fer- 
vent prayer of the righteous. Indeed, blessings innu- 
merable and inconceivable have accrued to the human 
family, and to the Church of God, by the simple means 
of prayer. 



164 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Well, if the prayers of an imperfect and sinning 
man can have so great an effect upon men and 
things, how much more effectual must be the inter- 
cessions of Christ for his people ? It was said of him, 
while in the flesh and surrounded with evil influences, 
that he was " without guile/' Neither sin nor deceit 
was found in his heart nor upon his lips. His thoughts, 
words, acts, and even motives, were pure. His prayers 
w^ere then answered. And shall they fail now, while 
he dwells " in the light which no man can approach 
unto," while he is surrounded by pure intelligences 
and holy influences ? 

When Jesus Christ entered into covenant with the 
Father to redeem his people, he received the promise 
that they should be his, and that, of all which the 
Father gave him, he should lose nothing. So that, 
while he intercedes for them from the first of their 
religious impressions until the completion of the whole 
work, the covenant promise is before the Father and 
the Son, and the prayer of our Savior is sure to be 
answered in our salvation. If so, where is the possibi- 
lity of our condemnation if we are truly his children ? 

The covenant which God the Father made to Christ 
is recorded in Ps. 89 : 26, 34, and reads thus : '' He 
shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and 
the rock of my salvation; also, / will make Mm my 
first-horn higher than the kings of the earth. My 
mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my cove- 
nant shall stand fast with him. His seed, also, will 
I malie to endure for ever, and his throne as the days 
of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk 
not in my judgments ; if they break my statutes, and 
keep not my commandments, then will I visit their 



Christ's intercession. 165 

transgression icitk a rod, and their iniquity with 
stripes. Nevertheless, 7ny loving kindness will I not 
utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to 
fail. My covenant will I not break ^ nor alter the 
thing that is gone out of my lips'' 

The facts embraced in this covenant are as follow : 
1. That it is Christ who is here referred to as "the 
first-born higher than the kings of the earth,'' for he 
is of heaven and infinite. He is infinitely higher than 
earthly kings. 2. That the Father made an immuta- 
ble covenant with him respecting himself, his children, 
and his throne. 3. That his seed or redeemed child- 
ren should he made or caused to endure for ever. 4. 
That though for their transgressions he would chas- 
tise them, yet his love for them should not be entirely 
taken from them. He would still be faithful to his 
Son and to his heirs of promise. 

Upon the very promise of our success in prayer, 
our glorious intercession is sure to prevail. God pro- 
mises to hear the prayer oi faith. Well, is it possible 
for Christ to ofifer a petition for his people, without 
faith? Has he not everything to ensure his success? 
His blood speaks louder than the blood of bulls and of 
goats. His pierced body takes hold on Divine sym- 
pathies. His dying groans yield to no resistance. 
There stands the sufferer — the only Son of the Fa- 
ther's love — pleading for his people. They have se- 
cured it, it is true, but the intercessor has borne the 
guilt of their sins in his own body. There is no 
denial. ^ 

Paul, in writing to the Hebrews, 7 : 24, 25, says : 
" But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an 
unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore, he is able also 



166 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by 
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for 
them/' 

This portion of Scripture indicates, 1. That the 
prayers of Christ are continually being offered to the 
Father for his children. 2. That he never changes. 
Hence, he must always pray for their salvation. And 
the apostle adds, that our Mediator is competent to 
save to the utmost extent, and always those v^hom he 
has received, because he ever lives to make interces- 
sion for them. This is in keepmg with the assurance 
of Christ to his disciples, viz., ''Because Hive ye shall 
live also.'' 

The substance of Christ's intercession for his re- 
deemed souls — his precious jewels — is contained in 
the prayer he offered to the Father, a short time pre- 
vious to his being taken by the Jews. John, chap. 
17 — "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes 
to heaven, and said : Father, the hour is come ; glo- 
rify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee ; as 
thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he 
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given 
him. And this is life eternal, that they might know 
thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou 
has sent. I have glorified thee on the earth ; I have 
finished the work w4iich thou gavest me to do. And 
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine ownself ; 
with the glory which I had with thee before the world 
was ; I have manifested thy name unto the men which 
thou gavest me out of the world ; thine they were, and 
thou gavest them me ; and they have kept thy word. 
(Christ does not mean that they had never departed 
from it, or its spirit, but that they had generally kept 



CHRIST*S INTERCESSION. 167 

it.) Now they have known that all things whatso- 
ever thou hast given me, are of thee. For I have 
given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; 
and they have received them, and have known surely 
that I came out from thee, and they have believed 
that thou didst send me. I pray for them : I pray not 
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; 
for they are thine ; and all mine are thine, and thine 
are mine ; and I am glorified in them (not if they are 
lost. He must, then, have been certain of their eter- 
nal salvation). And now I am no more in the world, 
but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy 
Father, keep through thine own name those whom 
thou hast GIVEN me, that they may he one as we are 
one. While I was w^ith them in the world, I kept 
them in thy name ; those that thou gavest me I have 
kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdi- 
tion ; (we have no account that he was prayed for^) 
that the Scriptures might he fulfilled. And now come 
I to thee ; and these things / speak in the world, that 
they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have 
given them thy word ; and the v/orld hath hated them, 
because they are not of the woidd, even as I am not 
of the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them 
out of the world, hut that thou shouldst keep them 
from the evil. They are not of the world even as I 
am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy 
truth : thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into 
the world, even so have I also sent them into the 
world. And for their sakes I sanctify niyself, that 
they also might he sanctified through the truth. Nei- 
ther pray I for these alone, hut for them also which shall 
believe on me through their word ; that they all may 



168 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in us ; that the world may beheve 
that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou 
gavest me / have given them; that they may be one, 
even as we are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that 
they may he made perfect in one ; and that the world 
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved 
them as thou hast loved me. Father, I w^ill that they 
also, whom thou hast given me, he with me where I 
am ; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast 
given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation 
of the world. O, righteous Father, the world hath not 
known thee ; but I have known thee, and these have 
known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared 
unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the 
love wherewith thou hast loved me, inay he in them, 
and I in them.'' 

From this interesting and humble petition of our 
Lord, we gather the following particulars : — 

1. After making an appeal to the Father, Christ 
affirms that he had assumed his authority in giving 
eternal life to his disciples who had believed on his 
name. It is not said,iiowever, that Judas was a be- 
liever, only ^follower of Christ. As many others did, 
so could he, follow Christ without any real love for 
him. 

2. That he had taught'his disciples to honor God 
and keep his word, which he declares they carefully 
observed. 

3. He affirms his object in coming to the Father, 
"It is to pray for them — not for the world.'' 

4. He expresses strong assurance of his being glo- 



1 



Christ's intercession. 169 

rifled ia them — in their eternal glory — which, if they 
failed to enjoy, would greatly dishonor him. 

5. To prevent a failure, he earnestly requests the 
Father to keep them from the evil of this world, as 
they w^ill remain in it, while he must shortly leave 
them. He presents, as a motiv^j, to the Father, that 
he had kept them thus far in the Father's name, ex- 
cept Judas, v>ho, in office, was a disciple, and who 
was permitted to occupy such a position for the fu' 
filment of the Scripture contained in Ps. 109: 8. 

6. Christ desires that his joy might be fully realized 
in them, which could not be v/ithout their final salva- 
tion. He urges, as a reason for this request, that they 
are not of the world. He chose them out of the world, 
for himself — for his associates in glory. '- For it be- 
came him for whom are all things, and by v/hom are 
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to 
make the captain of their salvation perfect through 
suffering.*' 

7. He prays for their satisfaction through the truth, 
affirming, that he is sanctified or set apart to his holy 
office and sacrifice /o?^ their sakes, that they might be 
sanctified and enjoy the fruit of his prayers. 

8. He not only prays for his present disciples, but 
for all who should hereafter believe on him. That he 
-and his Father and they all might be one ; for which 
purpose he affirms, that he has given the same glory 
which the Father had given him — w^iich is eternal 
blessedness. 

10. He, how^ever, prays the Father that this gift 
might receive his sanction ; that they all may be with 
him in the kingdom of heaven when they should be- 
hold his glorv. 

16 



170 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

11. He assigns as a reason, why he claims the de- 
sire of his soul for his disciples, viz. : That the Father 
loved him before the foundation of the v^orld. No 
doubt he alludes to the covenant between him and 
the Father in which the redeemed were given him, 
as the apostle assures us, " they were chosen in Christ 
before the foundation of the world." 

12. His last request is, that the Father would cause 
his Divine love to remain in them, and for Christ to 
he in them, so as to secure the desired end. 

In view of such a prayer from our Mediator, what 
can hinder the believer enjoying all that is prayed' 
for ? " Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he 
also called ; and whom he called, them he aho justified ; 
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What 
shall we then say to these things ? If God be for us^ 
who can be against us ? He that spared not his own 
Son, but delivered him up for us all, (he is writing to 
the Church) how shall he not with him also freely 
give us all things ? Who shall lay anything to the 
charge of God's elect ? It is he that justifieth. Who 
is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea, 
^rather, that is risen again, who is ever at the right 
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." — 
See following verses, Rom. 8 : 30, &c. 

The prayer which has just been considered was 
offered to God while Christ w^as upon ihe earth. But 
we should remember that he ever lives to make inter- 
cession for his people. Of this he gives his disciples 
assurance in John's Gospel, 14: 16, 17 — "And I will 
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com- 
forter that he may abide with youforever — even the Spi- 



Christ's intercession. 171 

rit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it 
seeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; 
for he dwelleth with you, and shall he in you'' And 
in chap. 11: 42, in praying for the restoration of La- 
zarus to Hfe, to witness before his enemies of his true 
Messiahship, he assures us that his prayers are always 
heard. The text reads thus : " Father, I thank thee 
that thou hast heard me ; and I know that thou 
hearest me always'' And about the time that Christ 
was to be taken by his enemies, and knowing that 
Peter would deny him, he addressed Peter in this 
manner: Luke 22 : 31, 32 — "Simon, Simon, behold, 
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you 
as wheat : But I have prayed for thee that thy faith 
fail not," i.e., Christ prayed that Peter's faith might 
not utterly fail, so as to make a final shipwreck of it ; 
and the result shows, that though Satan desired to 
destroy him, or at least to severely try him by his 
evil suggestions ; yet, by the look of him who had 
prayed for him, he was kept from final apostacy, and 
was afterwards the bold and successful Apostle who 
suffered the most distressing death that a martyr 
could endure, for the cause of his once forsaken 
Savior. 

If Christ be within us, and if he ever intends for 
us to secure the favor of the Father, and if his 
prayers never fail to be heard and answered, and if 
the Holy Spirit always abide with us, who can be 
against us, and prevail ? Are not the united persons 
of the Holy Trinity pledged to accomplish our eternal 
salvation ? We will then take courage, and, with 
Paul, commit to God the keeping of our souls unt 



172 



THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 



the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who careth for 
us, and as the good Shepherd who will not suffer any 
of his sheep to wander away into irrecoverable dis- 
grace. 



LECTURE VII. 

GENERAL SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY, EMBRACING THE PER- 
SONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE SACRED WRITERS. 

Isa. 8 : 20. "To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not 
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." 
— 2 Cor. 13 : 1. "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall 
every word be established." 

The first of these texts, 1, makes an appeal to the law 
and testimony of God ; 2, it affirms that all words 
which are spoken by men, must be according to that 
law, or be the words of darkness — i. e., they cannot 
be true. The second text assures us that two or 
three competent witnesses are sufficient to confirm a 
truth. And as all will admit that the law and testi- 
mony of God — ?. e., his Word — is true, and that all his 
witnesses of that Word are also true, so too must that 
be true what they affirm, whether it have respect to 
the law or to their own experience. 

It must then be a matter of great consolation to 
the believer to know that God has left on record an 
abundant assurance to lighten his burden, as he pur- 
sues his way to the land of promise. Christ and the 
apostles have been jointly concerned in the heavenly 
employment of supplying the Church with the ex- 
ceedingly great and precious promises ana testimonies 
of the Gospel, so well calculated to confirm them in 
the hope set before them, and to lead them to renewed 

action in the cause of truth and holiness 
15* 



174 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

Christ says to his disciples in John 5 : 24 — 
" Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my 
word, and beHeveth in Him that sent me, hath ever- 
lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation'' 
Chap. 6 : 37, 39, 57—'^ All that the Father giveth me 
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me / will 
in nowise cast out. And this is the Father s will 
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given 
me, / should lose nothing, but should raise it up again 
at the last day.'' Chapter 10 : 27-30 — "My sheep 
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 
And I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall 
never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out 
of my hand. My father which gave them me, is 
greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out 
of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." 
Rom. 8 : 35-39 — " Who shall separate us from the 
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or per- 
secution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 
J^ay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, 
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
nor height, nor death, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." 1 Cor. 1 : 8 — ''Who 
shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be 
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
1 Peter 1 : 5 — ''Who are kept by the power of God, 
through faith, unto salvation, ready to he revealed in 
the last time.'' Psalm 37 : 23, 24 — " The steps of a 
good man are ordered by the Lord ; and he delighteth 
in his way. Though he fall, he shall not he utterly 



I 



SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY. 175 

cast down ; for the Lord upholdeth hirn with his 
hand." Job 17 : D — '•' The righteous also shall hold 
on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be 
stronger and stronger/' 1 John 2 : 19 — '' They wen-t 
out from us, hut they were not of us : for if they had 
been of us, they would have continued with us ; but 
they went out, that they might be made manifest that 
they were not all of us." Matt. 7 : 22, 23—" Many 
will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not 
prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast 
out devils ? and in thy name done many wonder- 
ful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I 
never knew you ; depart from me ye that work ini- 
quity." Eph. 4 : 30 — '' And grieve not the Holy 
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of 
redemption." Phil. 1 : 6 — " Being confident of this 
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in 
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ J' 
2 Thess. 3 : 3 — '' But the Lord i^ faithful, who shall 
establish you and keep you from evil.'' 2 Tim. 2 : 19 
— " Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, 
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his." 
Matt. 25 : 34 — " Then shall the King say unto them 
on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you fro //z^AejfowTi^/a- 
tion of the world,'' 

It will be readily admitted by all believers in the 
Bible, that these portions of Scripture constitute an 
important part of Divine revelation, and that they 
can have no other meaning than their language plainly 
expresses ; which is, that those whom God calls to be 
his children shall certainly be his glorified subjects, 
which end he will accomplish in his own way. And 



4 



176 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

he who is disposed to reject this doctrine and contend 
against it, must first commence his attack upon those 
passages of Scripture which have been presented for 
consideration. But in so doing, he unhappily engages 
in battle with the Divine author who is jealous of his 
Word, and of the truths therein contained. 

God has not said so much, in so clear a mannei, 
for nought. And if the doctrine of the final perse- 
verance of the saints is not a Bible doctrine, then 
those texts ought not to occupy a place in our com- 
monly received version to lead the believer astray. 
But who will assume the responsibility, first to deny 
their Divine inspiration, and secondly, to expunge 
them from the sacred oracles ? 

In Paul's Epistle to the Hebrevv^s, chap. 6 : 17-19, 
he remarks, '' Wherein God, willing more abundantly 
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability 
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath ^ that by two 
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God 
to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have 
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. 
Which hope we have, as an anchor of the soul, both 
sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within 
the vail,'' ^c. 

Thus the inspired apostle expresses the strong 
grounds on which he and all true saints build their 
hope of eternal glory. The facts he labors to im- 
press upon the mind of the reader are, 1. That God 
willingly reveals to his children the certainty — the im- 
mutability of his promises respecting their final per- 
severance. 2. That he confirms the same by his oath. 
3. That by his two-fold oath the heirs of promise 
might rely on being eternally saved, with perfect 



SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY. 177 

surety, 4. That the believer's hope is both as sure 
and steadfast as an anchor, which is immoveably 
fixed. And 5. That it is so secure as that the pos- 
sessor of it is sure of entering within that vail 
where he shall be altogether out of the power of the 
enemy — even as sure as though he were now realiz- 
ing his final glory. A single glance at the passage 
must convince the most incredulous that this is the 
only construction that it can possibly bear. We re- 
peat that part of it which refers to this point. 
*•' Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both 
sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within 
the vail." 

That this is the only reasonable disposal of the text 
is further evident from the verse which follows it. It 
reads thus: "Whither {i.e., '-'within the vail") the 
forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus,*' &c. &c. 
And hence, as all will admit that Jesus Christ has 
entered into heaven, his eternal inheritance, so also 
does the Christian's hope convey the soul into " that 
vaiV without a failure. 

Having sufficiently disposed of this portion of Di- 
vine truth, the way is now opened to enter upon a 
consideration of the united testimony of those m- 
spired worthies who relied on such facts as are there 
presented for the sure foundation of their hope ; and by 
having considered it, we shall be qualified to appre- 
ciate their experience, better than if it had not been 
before our minds. 

It is universally admitted by believer^ in the Bible, 
that the sacred writers, whose names are attached to 
those portions of it written by them, were inspired by 
God to record whatever is handed down to us ^^^^ ' 



l'?8 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

the title of " The Scriptures ;" and that those writers 
were men of genuine religious experience. It will 
also be acknowledged, that as individual saints, what- 
ever views they entertained of the sentiments of the 
Gosple, or of the whole economy of redemption, were 
in perfect accordance with the will of God, by whom, 
and under whom they communicated to the whole 
Church and to the world their own religious expe- 
rience and principles, as a part of Divine revelation. 
If these facts be admitted (and who will presume to 
deny them ?) we are prepared, understandingly and 
profitably, to examine the divinely appointed witnesses, 
so as to ascertain what they know of the matter in 
question, by which every word and doctrine may be 
fully established, and the humble believer be so con- 
firmed in the certainty of the Christian's hope, as "to 
have a strong and abiding consolation in the exceed- 
ingly great and precious promise that God will never 
leave nor forsake him/' 

The pious Psalmist, in one of his devout exercises, 
m Ps. 17: 15, says: "As for me, I will behold thy 
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I 
awake with thy likeness." David here occupies a 
position, in which, above all others, he would have 
respect lo truth, and affirm nothing but what he was 
certain of In his preceding remarks he was reflect- 
ing on the conduct and end of the wicked. And 
then, with his own hope in full view, he adds : " As 
for me I will behold thy face in righteousness," &c. 
He does not even hint a doubt of his future glory. 
Having first secured Divine mercy and assurance of 
eternal salvation, he could rest satisfied to trust the 
Lord for the completion of the work begun in him. 



SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY. 179 

He did not believe, however, that God would dis- 
charge his duties for him, but> as a Divine Master, 
see that he was faithful. For " he works in his ser- 
vants to icill and to do, according to his good pleasure.'' 
Job was no less confident of the certaintv of his 
hope in the Redeemer. In his writings, chap. 19 : 25, 
29, he testifies : " For I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon 
the earth : and though, after my skin, worms destroy 
this body, yet out of my flesh shall I see God. Whom 
I shall see for myself] and mine eyes shall behold, and 
not another, though my veins be consumed within 
me.'' Paul, in writing to his Corinthian brethren, 
says, in 1 Cor. 9 : 26 — " I therefore so run, not as un- 
certainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air." 
In the preceding verses, the apostle i^ treating of the 
uncertainty of all w^inning a corruptible crown, who 
were engaged in the carnal strife of the Grecian 
games. The force of his following remarks will be 
seen in his words on this uncertainty, viz. : " Know 
ye not that they w^hich run in a race run all, but one 
receiveth the prize T' It appears, from this passage, 
that, though they all ran, only one became the con- 
queror. But the apostle gives us to understand that 
there is no such uncertainty attending the Chi'istian 
race, nor the Christian warfare. Let his testimony of 
himself be here repeated : '' I therefore so run, not as 
uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the 
air." Both expressions condemn the idea of uncer- 
tainty in the Christian's hope of accomplishing the 
final victory. His spiritual competitors may, during 
the long race, now and then gain the advantage 
over him and leave him in the rear, but he con- 



180 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

tinues through every obstacle to urge on his way 
until, finally, through the power that v^orks within 
him, he comes off victorious.. In the spiritual con- 
flict, he may receive many wounds, some of which 
may lay him by, so that it would seem as if he were 
mortally wounded. But, by the skill and compassion 
of the great Ph3^sician of souls, he revives and is again 
prepared for action. Thus, by the continued atten- 
tion of the Captain of his salvation, he fights not in 
vain — as one that contends with the air — he conquers. 
This apostle expresses his confidence in reaUzing his 
hope, in language as strong, if not stronger in Rom. 
8 : 35, 39 — " Who shall separate us from the love of 
Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? Nay, 
in all these things, we are more than conquerors, 
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principal- 
ities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
sliall he able to separate us from the love of God, which 
IS in Christ Jesus our Lord/' 

Again, in writing to Timothy, in 2 Tim. 1 : 12 — 
*' For / know whom I have believed, and am per- 
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have com- 
mitted unto him against that day." This does not 
indicate, in the least, that the great apostle of the 
Gentiles, the leader of the Christian Church, believed 
that he should be among the missing when God 
should come to make up his jewels. He had com- 
mitted his soul unto the keeping of the Lord, and he 
had full confidence in him in whose hands he had en- 
trusted so important a treasure. It would seem that 



SCRIPTURE TESTIMONY. 181 

what he had here said to Timothy was sufficient. 
But, as though it were not, he adds, in his closing re- 
marks, in chap. 4: IS- — '' Aiid the Lord shall deliver 
me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto 
HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM, to whom be glory for ever 
and ever. Amen.'' 

If the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints 
were not a prominent article in the creed of the pri- 
mitive churches, then Paul, the chief of the apostles, 
justly merited, not only the displeasure of God, but 
also the censure of the whole Church and ministry, 
for so bold an expression of his faith in that senti- 
ment. For he not only himself believed it, but he 
taught it to young Timothy and to the churches, in 
his several Epistles. But, as God superintended his 
own holy oracles of truth, and has suffered that doc- 
trine to be plainly taught therein, who is he that dare 
reply against God ? Indeed Paul affirms that he 
taught the churches what he had received by the 
revelation of Jesus Christ, and not the communica- 
tions of men. It is a truth, then, stamped with the 
seal of immutable sanction. 



16 



LECTURE VIII. 

OBJECTIONS TO THIS DOCTRINE CONSIDERED. 

Eom. 8 : 31. " What shall we then say to these things ? If God 
be for ns, who can be against us." 

Throughout this whole chapter, the inspired apostle 
is laboring to confirm the believer in the doctrine be- 
fore us. In the passage preceding our text, he says, 
"Moreover, whom he did predestinate them he also 
called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ; 
and ivhom he justified, them he also glorified.'' Thus 
showing a regular chain of events^ or in other words, 
a regular and certain progress of the believer's spirit- 
ual life, which clearly establishes the fact, expressed 
elsewhere by this apostle, " that he which hath begun 
a good work in us will carry on to its completioh." 

The verses which follow our text affirm that '' no- 
thing shall be able to separate us from the love of 
Christ,'' which indicates it is a truth that, if God, 
either by his presence or his Word, be for his people, 
no weapon found against them shall prosper — none 
can be against them, and succeed in overthrowing 
them or their faith. 

Well might the apostle then inquire, " What shall 
we then say to these things T' Proof, under God's^ 
authority, is so undeniably expressed, that, however 
much the fact may be above our reason, or contrary 
lo our peculiar prejudices, we are obliged to close our 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 183 

mouths and be silent. We can say nothing against 
it for fear of incurring the displeasure of Him who 
has affirmed the sentiment. 

We are, however, aware that notwithstanding the 
doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is so 
clearly taught in the Word of God, there are those in 
the Christian Church who conscientiously reject it, 
through fear of the consequences of believing it, and 
because they cannot reconcile it with some other 
portions of Scripture. It will be necessary, there- 
fore, to take notice of the various objections which 
are urged against this doctrine. And if they cannot 
be fairly answered, the preceding arguments will have 
but little effect in accomphshing our object. But, on 
the other hand, if, at the close of this lecture, it shall 
appear plain, that the objections are only imaginary, 
or if even they bear some marks of reality, but are 
much lighter than the evidences in favor, the doctrine 
should be received as from God, because he has said 
so much to confirm it. And no injury can be sus- 
tained by believing it. 

Obj. 1. — The Scriptures promise salvation to 
those only who endure to the' end, Mark 13 : 13 — 
" But he that shall endure unto the end, the same 
shall be saved.'' Rev. 2: 10— "Be thou faithful 
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'' By 
carefully reading the chapters, wherein these passages 
occur, it will be seen that our Lord is apprising his 
infant Church of the peculiar sufferings which they 
should experience. And to encourage them in the 
midst of their trials he carries their minds beyond 
their present suffering, to the enjoyment of eternal 
glory in heaven. 



184 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

God no more intends to secure the final salvation 
of his children v^ithout their faith and obedience unto 
death, than to save them in the beginning w^ithout 
faith and repentance. As he cannot, at first, repent 
and believe for them, so neither can he perform their 
duties through life — duties indispensable to their per- 
severance. But as in the first instance He works in 
their hearts " to will and to do according to his good 
pleasure," giving them repentance and faith, &c., so 
does he continue '' to cause them to walk in his sta- 
tutes to do them," and " to hold on their way." Who 
could " endure to the end" or " be faithful unto death" 
without the grace of God ? And if the grace to per- 
severe is of God, what is there in the creature, man, 
to hold on his way and grow stronger and stronger, 
independent of the continued supplies of this heavenly 
grace ? Well, if the Christian could not take a sin- 
gle step towards heaven at first without the grace of 
God, and if he cannot endure or be faithful until 
death without God, and God has pledged his faithful- 
ness to keep his children, so that no man shall be able 
to pluck them out of His hand, I cannot see the force 
of this objection. It is only imaginary. 

Obj. 2. — The Scriptures express the danger of the 
apostacy and ruin of Saints. Ezek. 18 : 24 — 
*' But when the righteous man turneth away from his 
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth 
according to all the abominations that the wicked 
man doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness that 
he hath done shall not be mentioned : in his trespass 
that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath 
sinned, in them shall he die." Heb. 6 : 4-6 — '•' For 
it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 185 

and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made 
partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the 
good Word of God and the pov^^ers of the world to 
come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again 
unto repentance ; seeing they crucify to themselves 
the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 
(Ver. 9) — But beloved we are persuaded better things 
of you, and things that accompany salvation, though 
we thus speak." Heb. 10 : 26, 27 — " For if we sin 
wilfully after that we have received the knowledge 
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for 
sins ; but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery 
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." 
2 Peter 2 : 20 — " For if after they have escaped the 
pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again en- 
tangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse 
with them than the bes-inning;/' 

These are the passages of Scripture which are 
usually selected to overthrow all the others chosen to 
defend the doctrine in question. But it should be re- 
membered, that there is nothing in these portions of 
Scripture to contradict the others. The large num- 
ber of texts presented to prove the doctrine were 
positive in affirming the certainty of the believer's 
eternal salvation. The above texts are hypothetical. 
They merely suppose a case which, if it were real, 
would result thus and so. In each instance it reads, 
when or if a man do so and so, the natural conse- 
quences will follow. 

A similar instance occurs in the 27th chapter of 
Acts, verses 21-31, in which the term "except'' is 

used, when it was certain in the apostle's mind that 

16* 



186 THE VALUE OF THE SOULv 

the end would be secured by the caution embraced in 
the supposition. The passages read thus : " But after 
long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, 
and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and 
not have loosed from Crete ; and to have gained this 
harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good 
cheer ; for there shall be no loss of any man's life 
among you, but of the ship — (this is positive). For 
there stood by me this night, the angel of God, whose 
I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul ; thou 
must be brought before Caesar; and lo, God hath 
given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, 
sirs, be of good cheer ; for I believe God that it shall 
be even as it was told me — (this is Divine authority, 
even such as has been quoted to prove our doctrine). 
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the 
ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, 
under color as though they would have cast anchors 
out of the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and 
to the soldiers, except (here is an expression of uncer- 
tainty, though the result was certain as God had de- 
clared it) these men abide in the ship, ye cannot be 
saved.'' Now it was certain in the mind of Paul 
that all would be saved, but he expressed doubt, not 
because it v/as doubtful, but for the purpose of lead- 
ing the managers of the vessel to use the means to 
accomplish the end. So, in the case of belitvers, God 
has determined to save all his people — not one of 
them shall be lost. But he has seen proper to give 
them the necessary caution. He threatens, and com- 
mands, and promises for the purpose of saving them. 
Whereas, if they were left to themselves they would 
perish — if they do not use the means they cannot 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 187 

enjoy the end. But as God governed the minds of 
the ship's crew, and led them to heed the warning of 
Paul and thus saved them, so he will take care to 
lead his people to the use of the means of their eter- 
nal salvation, for '•' the steps of a good man are order- 
ed by the Lord, ' so that, " though he/a/Z he shall not 
be utterly cast down ; for the Lord upholdeth him 
icith his hand.'' 

Obj. 3. — The Scriptures furnish several instances 
of grievous apostacies. — The New Testament, espe- 
cially, speaks of Judas, Alexander, Hymeneus, Phile- 
tus, and others. 

The case of Judas has already been sufficiently 
considered. Christ affirms what he was from the 
beginning. Nothing more is said of Alexander than 
that he did the Apostle Paul much evil by opposing 
the sentiments of the Apostle, and against whom he 
warns Timothy. The supposition is, that Alexander 
apostatized from the faith of the Gospel, and labored 
to establish a separate interest. It is not said, how- 
ever, that he was before a member or minister of the 
Christian Church ; so that his case is not a plain in- 
stance of apostacy. In speaking of Hymeneus and 
Philetus, the Apostle compares their sentiments to a 
canker which is calculated to destroy the wholesome 
influence of the principles of the Gospel, whenever 
they shall become associated, and to produce serious^ 
effects in the hearts of those who embrace this mix- 
ture of truth and error. The fault of these, men, was 
that they advocated the doctrine, that the resurrec- 
tion Vv^as past, by which they overthrew the faith ot 
some of the Apostolic Church who held to a future 
resurrection. Nothing is said of the former church 



188 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

relation of these advocates of error. Neither is there 
any particular charge urged against their reUgious 
experience. The Apostle barely says, that "Con- 
cerning the truth they have erred.'' So that, these 
too, are doubtful cases of " apostate Christians.'' The 
Apostle informs us that they hdid false brethren; and 
these may have been among the number. Indeed, all 
those vv^ho have been noticed, may have been of that 
class, of w^hom Christ speaks in his description of the 
scenes of the judgment in Matt. 7 : 22, 23, where he 
says : '' Many will plead that they have done many 
wonderful works, in casting out devils, prophesying,'' 
&c., but to whom he will say : " I never knew you, 
depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." The Apostle 
John refers to the same characters when he affirms : 
" That antichrists shall come, even now are there 
many antichrists, whereby we know it is the last 
time. They went out from us, but they were not of 
us ; for if they had been of us, they would have conti- 
nued with us : hut they went out that they might he 
made maiiifest that they were not all of us." 

It is also frequently urged as an objection, that Paul 
expresses fear lest he should become a cast-away 
after having preached to others. And well he might 
express fear, and feel that he must keep his body un- 
der subjection. Because, if left to himself all that 
he had done would not save him, he would be as lia- 
ble to be cast away as the vilest sinner. It was as 
necessary for him to be faithful as for the sinner to 
believe for salvation. Though he was as certain of 
eternal salvation, as he was that the ship's crew, be- 
fore considered, would all be saved : yet he was con- 
sistent enough to know that he must, as well as they, 



^ 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 189 

use the means of safety. He expresses his certainty 
of salvation in the preceding text, as previously 
quoted, viz. : "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly : 
so fight I, not as one that heatetk the air.'' 

Obj. 4. — It is inconsistent with free agency. — This 
is a very simple objection, though frequently urged. 
Why not urge the same objection against the sinner's 
conversion ? Do men convict and regenerate them- 
selves by their free agency ? If not, is not their sal- 
vation, in the first instance, inconsistent with the 
objector's view of free agency ? Would heaven ever 
be secured to one soul by his free agency alone ? If 
not, then surely it cannot be inconsistent wdth free 
agency — if such a thing can be in an unlimited sense 
— for God to exercise his sovereign power to govern 
the human will, so as to keep it directed in a proper 
course, in order to accomplish the determined end ? 
For if the W'ill of man is subject to the will of God,, in 
conviction and conversion, so is it in completing the 
work begun, even to eternal glory. If angels and 
saints are confirmed in heaven under the moral go- 
vernm.ent of God, so also are the heirs of heaven con- 
firmed on earth, being subject to the same government. 

Obj. 5. — It tends to licentiousness. — This supposes 
that, because eternal salvation is rendered certain, 
the heir of promise will be so corrupt and ungrateful, 
that he will abuse the Divine Benefactor and the pre- 
sent blessings he enjoys ! In order to arrive at a cor- 
rect view of such an hypothesis, it is merely necessary 
to enquire w^hether the character of those wno believe 
this doctrine is licentious, and, if so, how does it com- 
pare with the character of those who deny it ? The 
fact is, those who commit the keeping of their soul?; 



190 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

unto the end, into the hands of their Redeemer, are 
experimental Christians— they have tasted the joys of 
salvation. And their motives to Christian faithfulness 
are stronger, because they are certain of heaven, than 
they can possibly entertain, v^ho constantly live in 
doubt as to their future destiny. 

Obj. 6. — If I believed this doctrine I would not 
pray any more. This is the strongest sentiment 
that an unregenerate mind could possibly exercise. 
It is that vv^hich declares pure selfishness. It indicates 
this: Now God has accomplished my redemption; 
and he w^ill surely bring me to enjoy him in his glo- 
rious kingdom. I need not pray any more ; I need 
not be faithful unto death. I have no trials to endure. 
I have no temptations to resist. I need not be care- 
ful to maintain the Christian character. There is 
nothing for me to do, for the Lord keeps me and will 
save me without the use of means. It will be readily 
seen, that any person who encourages such feelings is 
an utter stranger to the workings of the Holy Spirit 
in the regenerate soul. God does not work in us to 
will and to do according to his good pleasure, without 
giving us a spirit of agonizing prayer, a desire to be 
instrumental in saving souls, a disposition to endure 
all things, hope all things, believe all things, in a 
word, to communicate, to do good, to forget not, to 
hold on our way. 

In the conclusion of this part of the treatise, I 
would remark, 1. That if this doctrine be true — and 
we think w^e have fairly proved it — then Christians 
have a solid foundation upon which to rest their 
hopes. This foundation is nothing less than the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and his Word. The apostles speak of 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 191 

Christ as being cemented with his people, as the cor- 
ner-stone to a building. The following passages from 
their writings are very expressive of the close con- 
nection there is between Christ and the Church. Eph. 
2 : 19-22, " Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers 
and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and 
of the household of God ; and are huilt upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ 
himself being the chief corner-stone ; in lahom all the 
building, fitly framed, together, groweth unto an holy 
temple in the Lord ; in whom ye also are builded to- 
gether, for an habitation of God through the Spirit/' 
See also, 1 Peter 2 : 3-9. 

The above Scripture plainly indicates the perfect 
security of God's chosen people. For no building 
can be perfect and fitly framed together if one stone 
is left out. And Peter, as above referred to, calls be 
lievers " livelj^ stones,'"' who together are built up a 
spiritual house. And, indeed, in order for one of these 
lively stones to be loosened and fall out, and be miss- 
ing, the corner-stone must be rendered defective. 
But as Christ is alwavs the same, and as his children 
are built upon him, they have a sure foundation, and 
will remain permanently in his love. Paul says on 
this point — " Nevertheless the foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them 
that are his,'' Believers are represented as being a 
part of the body of Christ. And surely he will not 
suffer any member of his most glorious body to per- 
ish. The apostle remarks in 1 Cor. 12 : 27". " Now 
ye are the body of Christ, and members in particu- 
lar." Again, Eph. 4: 16. "From whom (Christ) 
the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted 



192 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

by that which every joint supplieth, according to the 
effectual working in the measure of every party 
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it- 
self in love.'' 

There are but two things on which we can rely for 
continuance in holiness. These are either Gur own 
will, or the will of God. It is mere folly to suppose 
that the will of the believer is so sanctified and gov- 
erned by good moral influences, foreign from the Holy 
Spirit, that he can, of himself, persevere in holiness. 
Sacred and profane history, as well as observation 
and experience, confirm the fact, that the most faith- 
ful saint, v/hen left to his own will, wanders away 
into forbidden paths. See the cases of the angels 
that fell, of Adam, of David, Solomon, Peter, and a 
host of others, ancient and modern. Since, then, no 
man, of himself, can possibly persevere a day, an 
hour, a moment in the way to heaven ; all the glory 
of our salvation, from first to last, must be ascribed 
to God and the Lamb forever. 

2. Not only have those Christians who believe this 
doctrine stronger reasons to love God than those who 
reject it, but sinners also have more urgent motives 
to attend to the salvation of their souls. It is be- 
cause the believer knows that his Mediator is ever 
living before the Father to prevent his final apostacy, 
that his attachment to Christ is daily strengthened. 
And it is because sinners who believe this doctrine 
expect to be saved according to the fullest import of 
the term salvation, that they feel a greater obligation 
to attend to the things which w^ork for their eternal 
peace. It is more reasonable to suppose that, a cer- 
tainty will be embraced with greater readiness than 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 193 

an uncertainty. Let the awakened sinner be con- 
vinced in his mind that he is called to secure the 
pearl of great price, the heavenly treasure, which 
shall never be taken away if once possessed, and he 
has a motive, strong and irresistible, to impel him for- 
ward to obtain the prize of his high calling in Christ 
Jesus. This would be the natural consequence. It 
is one of the motives of the Gospel to hold out the 
crown of life, the sure reward, the gift of God to 
the awakened sinner as well as to the believer. And 
surely, he that feels certain of heaven will enter upon 
the race — he will engage in the battle. And such a 
one will be sure to ascribe all his success, all his sal- 
vation, all the glory to God, the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. For such, and 
such only, shall become possessors of an eternal in- 
heritance in the kingdom of glory. It is now the 
feeling of every true believer in Christ. And, wher- 
ever the Scriptures speak of the praises of the re- 
deemed in heaven, they aiRrm that that sentiment 
will be fully embraced in the songs of the glorified 
worshippers of God and the Lamb. 

And finally, our Lord has apprized all who become 
his disciples, that they shall be subject to tribulation 
in this world ; and that their faith shall be tried by 
both God and man. The chief enemy against whom 
they must contend is fierce, vigilant, and subtle. 
They have temptations and sorrows throughout their 
whole pilgrimage. Doubts and fears beset them on 
every side, both in view of the present life and that 
which is to come. But they should remember, that, 
whatever other causes of fear they may have, their 
risen and glorified Master tells them, that, on the 
17 



194 THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. 

subject of their future destiny they may dismiss their 
fears, and rejoice in the prospect of a crown of glory 
that shall never fade away. They are his flock ; and, 
as such, they are the objects of the incessant care and 
unspeakable tenderness of their great, good, infinite, 
eternal, almighty, all- wise Savior and Shepherd. He 
is always with them to defend and provide for them. 
He gathers the lambs with his arms and carries them 
in his bosom, and will finally introduce them into His 
fold in heaven. 

In every age of the world, by His Providence, His 
Spirit, His institutions, and His promises. He has 
been saying to his beloved ones, " Fear not, little 
flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you 
the Kingdom of Immortal Glory — to lead you by 
living fountains of water and into green pastures — 
to wipe away all tears from your faces, and to re- 
move all your sorrows and destroy all your enemies.'' 

Surely such a hope is worth embracing. It de- 
serves being ''earnestly contended for.'' It was 
"delivered to the saints" for that object. But let the 
sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, be the wea- 
pon. Let the Holy Spirit direct and govern our 
hearts while we employ the means he has furnished, 
lest we contend unlawfully. It is necessary for us al- 
ways to feel the force of our Savior's remark, "With- 
out me ye can do nothing." And to enjoy that happy 
assurance which the apostle felt when he said, " I can 
do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 
The humble Christian feels, that the work of per- 
severing in holiness unto the end of this life, is too 
great for him to do alone. He constantly feels the 
need of Divine assistance. And he knows that it 



OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 195 

can be secured, for God has promised to give grace 
sufficient for the evil day. 

Hoping, dear reader, that you have tasted of the 
heavenly gift of grace, which God alone can bestow, 
we most ardently wish that you may enjoy continual 
evidence of that sealing of the Spirit of promise, 
which is the earnest of our inheritance, until you 
fully realize the redemption of the purchased posses- 
sion, unto the praise of his glory. 

And should these pages be read by one who is an 
utter stranger to the kingdom of heavenly grace, let 
the encouragement herein afforded you to lay hold on 
the hope of the Gospel, cause you to fight no more 
against your God, but lead you to surrender yourself 
a prisoner of hope — an heir of promise — a joint-heir 
with Jesus Christ. " O taste and see that the Lord is 
good." 








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